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“WAKE UP!” shouted Rachel into Ray’s sensitive ear while he mindlessly dreamed of darkness. Of course he did not respond to the loud, obtrusive voice.

“Wake up! C’mon! Wake up or I’ll poke you.” Still no response. The only reason that poking Ray is a threat is due to his extreme nerve senses . . . he’s super ticklish. The next thing he felt was a warm finger slightly touching his bellybutton.

“Ahhh! Stop that!” He immediately opened his eyes to see his bright room and radiant sister kneeling over his body on his king sized bed. The room was left how he remembered the night before: spotless shelves, perfectly aligned posters on all four black walls, his favorite knife lying on the carpeted floor along with broken glass and the base probably due to their clumsy mom bumping into the shelving unit in the corner across the door, and his pajamas strewn all over the room.

“I’m not touching you anymore. Jeez, grow up! Which reminds me, happy birthday!”

“Um, last time I checked, my birthday isn’t for another three years.” Ray sat up, rustling the sheets and forcing Rachel to move back.

“Oh, phooey on leap years! It just happened that you were born three minutes after me on the last day of the shortest month. Now, celebrate your birthday!” Ray felt hesitant to giving in just to shut her up. Then, he remembered his Lenten vows . . . even though he preferred agnosticism.

“Do you know how much I’d like to say yes to just shut you up so I can fall back asleep on this,” he paused to look out his window, “terribly sunny Saturday?” The sunny, cloudless sky of Southern California shone through the dirty half-circle window above the shutters annoyingly. Even Rachel, now noticing this, squinted.

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please, please, please?”

“Are you seriously going to ask me for the next hour?”

“Yep! But you really should just obey this plead because I’m older.” She winked, stood and left Ray to that thought.

“Ieda’s here. Just thought you’d like to know.” Rachel yelled as she jumped every other stair down to the ground floor. When Ray counted the usual seven stairs, he got up and prepared to get a shower not only for Ieda, but also just for the fun of having random thoughts bombard his relaxed head.

After his thirty-minute Mecca, and after finding clothes that looked clean enough for Ieda, he turned on his room’s T.V. Mindless Spongebob was all he needed today. Unfortunately, Emiloy walked in right when the T.V. finally warmed up.

“Good morning! Oh, I’m so glad you’re awake now. Can you take out the garbage please?” Her feministic debonair voice usually put the charm to completing menial household tasks, but today Ray retorted, “Won’t I be passing my surprise birthday party on my way to the trash can?”

“Wh-what s-s-surprise p-p-party? D-did I say that? Oh, my . . . never mind about that then. Keep watching your cartoon.” As she left, Ray thought he heard her say that she would send up Ieda. Seconds later, excited thumping sounded on the stairs as Ieda ran up them.

“Ray!”

“So Rachel wasn’t lying that you were here.” An awkward smile escaped him. She chuckled.

“Nope. So how are you this fine Saturday afternoon? Happy? Excited? Angry?”

“You’re doing it again.” It had become a habit after the gang got back from their adventure for Ieda to try to pinpoint Ray’s emotions, no matter how dark.

“So sorry! Looks like I owe you a kiss now . . . well, pucker up!”

wahmbulance later that same day . . . wahmbulance

Night had engulfed the entire sky by the time they arrived home safely from eating out in honor of Rachel and Ray’s seventeenth successful year on Earth. Though when leaving the house earlier that day, Ieda blindfolded Ray in order that he would not see the festive party until they arrived back at the house. He played along and decided to try to enjoy something planned for him. Ieda, Emiloy, Rachel, and finally Ray stepped out of the car.

“So many stars! Oh, lets gaze for a while! Can we, please?” Rachel felt too enthusiastic to actually stargaze . . . What is she planning? Ray thought to himself, sarcastically.

“That’s a marvelous idea, Rachel! Ieda, can you go get the lawn chairs?”

“Of course, Mrs. Brekon.” She casually walked in and shut the door. An hour and a half passed before she emerged from the house.

“I could not find them.”

“Oh, what a pity,” Emiloy replied, “I’m sure Ray would love to help you look for them.”

“Normally, I would. But I don’t wanna ruin the surprise party inside.”

“WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A PARTY?! Now, go help Ieda find the lawn chairs! No buts!”

“Bu-“

“NO!” Emiloy’s face turned a brick red with anger. Ray, for the first time in forever, started to cower in fear. Rachel started tearing. Or was it sweat from the night heat? Wait, it’s, like, only below sixty. So it couldn’t be from any heat. …I’m doing it again . . . Emiloy slapped him before he could finish his thought.

“STOP STARING AND GET THOSE LAWN CHAIRS!” She yelled as the neighbor’s lights came on. They obediently entered the house and, as a precaution, Ray shouted, “Phred, hand me a lawn chair or else.”

“Ray, no one’s here.” Ieda stated while turning on the light. Lo and behold, no one appeared.

“So, why did you guys blindfold me?” he asked as he located the lawn chairs in the pantry.

“We had to keep the ruse going that you thought that it’d be at your house. Instead, it’s really at-“

“Yes?” Ray interrupted.

“Never mind. Anyway, let’s just get these chairs back to the car.” She picked up two of the four oddly placed chairs. Ray followed suit. When they walked outside, Emiloy’s face looked damp. Rachel explained what happened and the party of four got in the car again. Ieda volunteered to drive for Emiloy, but everyone yelled a no; Ieda’s driving experience lacked in skill, experience, and knowledge.

Minutes later, they arrived at a small fire pit on the beach. The fire blazed brightly, showing the other party guests. Phred, d**k, even Ray and Rachel’s father stood on the dark, yet bright enough to see, sandy expanse of Aliso Beach County Park. Marshmallows roasted over the fire, Ray observed. The partygoers walked over to the car and helped take the miscellaneous party paraphernalia out. Ieda, Ray, Rachel and Emiloy stepped out of the car; Ieda, Rachel and Emiloy helped. Ray walked off.

The beach itself looked overcrowded for night. Even a lifeguard held his position in one of the stands. What was going on? Many groups of people stood at the ocean and stared up at the sky. Most held posters, others wore shirts that depicted an artist’s rendition of an alien head.

Oh, dear God, they’re alien enthusiasts . . . do we really have to share the beach with those freaks? Ray thought. This makes me want to celebrate my “birthday” even more. He took no more notice of the loud group and stormed off to the campfire.

A beautifully decorated chocolate cake sat in the middle of a table surrounded by lawn chairs. Two sets of number candles penetrated the surface; both included a one and a seven. Other things on the table were six plastic plates, six plastic cups, six plastic forks, a gray (really purple) plastic tablecloth, soda, chips, dip, confetti and pairs of elbows. Ray finally reached the table when Rachel announced he came to join them.

“I didn’t come to join you, I’m here against my own will. Here I am stranded without a license and a beach I . . . well, I never enjoyed in the first place but right now can’t enjoy due to freaks believing an alien ship will land somewhere near here just like in that Muppet movie who’s name escapes me. If you have bigger problems, please. Tell me.”

“Ray, your mother went through a lot to set this up for you,” Danile started, “and not just her, but Ieda, too. This is her mother’s week off. Instead of going to visit her, she stayed all the week to set up this party directed towards you. Rachel doesn’t need a party to keep her spirit alive. You do, and you will enjoy us singing . . . Happy Birthday,” the rest of the group chimed in to continue the ritual singing of the most widely known song on the planet. Everyone shouted yay’s and ha ha’s and clapped at the same time while Ray, still standing, gaped. He closed his mouth, but still stared.

“Ray, this is where we blow out our candles.” Rachel said.

“Wha-? Oh, right . . . guess I’ll get it over with.” He blew out the candles and made his silent wish: I wish I were far away from here for a little while. You know, just to get away for a bit. Like a mini vacation. No Rachel, no Ieda, no parents and especially no Phred. Rachel blew hers out too: I wish Ray would see how important he and his well-being is to us. And I hope I’m there to see it happen.

Presents lay all across the table. Ray got a new knife (probably why his other was out of his case this morning) from Emiloy and Phred, a new journal contributed by Danile, lots of clothes from Ieda’s personal taste, and fifteen minutes of quiet from Rachel. Rachel got the benefit of seeing Ray smile at his presents. That, she considered, granted her wish full enough.

Cake came next. The dark chocolate with strawberry filling really involved symbolism. The dark chocolate represented the deep color of Ray’s tattered soul whereas the filling depicted his blood from cutting his arm, or in this case the cake, open. Ray glanced over at the crowd of alien enthusiasts and sighed that they would never go away that night.

Somewhere in the middle of cake, Emiloy’s phone rang. “Restricted” popped up on the caller I.D.

“Hello? Yes, this is she. Oh? Ok, hold on,” she put her hand on the speaker. Ray commented that her hand should go on the other end; she corrected and continued, “Ray, it’s for you.”

“Who is it?” he asked with a mouth full of delicious pastry.

“I don’t really know. He says he knows you and already tried your cell phone. Do you have it with you?”

“Didn’t have time to pick it up, remember? This morning when we left blindfolded? Never mind, hand it over.” She did.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Ray. Long time, no speak!” Ray immediately recognized the voice.

“Why are you calling now of all times?!” Ray yelled.

“Why? Because I can and I have the power to change your future . . . remember the hospital?” How could he not?

“Fine, but make this quick. What do you want me to do this time?”

“Simple. Look up. Oh, and tell Rachel to, too.” The other line clicked off.

“Rachel, look up with me. Just do it, no arguing.” She did. Directly above them hovered a space craft of immense size. Loudly soft humming filled the beach and covered up the shouting of the alien’s fangirls and boys. The middle, usually where the tractor beam emits from, stood still directly over Ray, Rachel and the cake. Suddenly, the ground started to shake. Not in the fashion of a Californian earthquake, but something much more ominous. Wind started howling and blowing hard, the waves came in more fiercely, and the hatch doors started to open, emitting smoke and blue light in a conical shape towards the sand.

“What the hell is going on? Take one of them,” he pointed to the crowd, “to be probed! Why us?” then he remembered the phone call.

“I AM GONNA KILL HIM!!!” Ray screamed as the three, including the cake, of course, floated upward.

“Kill who?” Rachel shouted to compete with the noise.

“All you need to know right now is ‘him’!” That’s the last thing he said in our solar system for a while.



BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, YOU MIGHT JUST GET IT . . . heart Author XIV