Emma's Birthday Party

Sample story

Emma wakes up to sunshine streaming through her curtains, and her heart does a little flip. Today is the day — her seventh birthday, and everything has to be absolutely perfect. She leaps out of bed and slides across the wooden floor in her sparkly socks, humming the melody she's been practicing for weeks. Downstairs, the living room is bursting with color. Red and gold balloons float against the ceiling, trailing their curly ribbons like jellyfish tentacles. The big chocolate cake sits on the table, seven candles waiting to be lit, and the sweet smell of frosting fills the entire house. "Okay, places everyone!" Emma calls out to her stuffed animals, lined up on the couch like a tiny audience. She presses play on the music and twirls — one, two, three — just like she rehearsed. But then her foot catches the streamer taped to the floor. She stumbles. The music skips. A balloon pops with a loud BANG. Emma freezes. Her bottom lip trembles. The doorbell rings — her friends are already here, and nothing is going the way she planned...