HAPPY BIRTHDAY by Ian Herd
Over the eastern horizon, grey clouds carpeted the blue sky. A chill rode the strong breeze as it surfed through the streets below the sixteen-story apartment block. Leaves fluttered at the ends of their twigs, they’re branches swayed to and fro to the rhythm of nature.
On the thirteenth floor of the sixteen-story apartment block little Gordon Sharpels stared out the lounge window towards the Bondi-Junction skyline. Behind him the noise of the television echoed through the one bedroom apartment as the Wiggles sang a song about ‘Hot Potatoes’. Gordon ignored the song as he watched a small group of Pigeons glide through the swirling winds. He wished he were one of them; he was sure they were having fun like surfers on waves. Gordon wanted to turn the television down, but his mother had instructed him to leave the volume up before she disappeared into the bedroom with the two men Gordon did not know. He wished the two men would leave his mother alone so she could take him to the movies in the city. It was his birthday present his mother had promised him and he was looking forward to it.
With the movie theatre on his mind he picked up the card from the coffee table that his mother had given him earlier on during the day. ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ printed across in big blue letters and the number nine next to his name brought a smile across the young boy’s face.
He remembered that she had also given him a block of chocolate, where he had already eaten the first row of strawberry filled squares. He was about to open the fridge when the smile that had beamed across his face suddenly disappeared as he remembered the two men that were in the bedroom with his mother had eaten it all.
Slowly the youngster turned and walked slowly back to the sofa. Again he stared out the lounge window towards the Bondi-Junction skyline. The rain began to fall, as it patted against the windowpane, tears slowly welled up in his eyes and rolled steadily down his cheeks. Gordon could now hear his mother’s moans and screams rhythmically with the springs of the bed then the noise of flesh been slapped and furniture being broken. Her pleads for mercy go unanswered by laughter from the two men. Gordon had heard it all before, he didn’t want to be there anymore.
As he watched the birds, a huge gull caught the boy’s eye and he was sure the bird spoke to him as it swooped down near the window. The young boy desperately wanted to be free with his new friend and in doing so he opened the window and leapt of the window ledge never to feel pain again.
The End
On the thirteenth floor of the sixteen-story apartment block little Gordon Sharpels stared out the lounge window towards the Bondi-Junction skyline. Behind him the noise of the television echoed through the one bedroom apartment as the Wiggles sang a song about ‘Hot Potatoes’. Gordon ignored the song as he watched a small group of Pigeons glide through the swirling winds. He wished he were one of them; he was sure they were having fun like surfers on waves. Gordon wanted to turn the television down, but his mother had instructed him to leave the volume up before she disappeared into the bedroom with the two men Gordon did not know. He wished the two men would leave his mother alone so she could take him to the movies in the city. It was his birthday present his mother had promised him and he was looking forward to it.
With the movie theatre on his mind he picked up the card from the coffee table that his mother had given him earlier on during the day. ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ printed across in big blue letters and the number nine next to his name brought a smile across the young boy’s face.
He remembered that she had also given him a block of chocolate, where he had already eaten the first row of strawberry filled squares. He was about to open the fridge when the smile that had beamed across his face suddenly disappeared as he remembered the two men that were in the bedroom with his mother had eaten it all.
Slowly the youngster turned and walked slowly back to the sofa. Again he stared out the lounge window towards the Bondi-Junction skyline. The rain began to fall, as it patted against the windowpane, tears slowly welled up in his eyes and rolled steadily down his cheeks. Gordon could now hear his mother’s moans and screams rhythmically with the springs of the bed then the noise of flesh been slapped and furniture being broken. Her pleads for mercy go unanswered by laughter from the two men. Gordon had heard it all before, he didn’t want to be there anymore.
As he watched the birds, a huge gull caught the boy’s eye and he was sure the bird spoke to him as it swooped down near the window. The young boy desperately wanted to be free with his new friend and in doing so he opened the window and leapt of the window ledge never to feel pain again.
The End