A Birthday - Snack Size Fiction

Give the perfect gift. Personalized stories from just $129.

A Birthday

Will a sobering birthday celebration be the first step on the road to redemption?

9:05 a.m.

They all stare at me as they sing. Some of them mean it, I can tell. They’ve been here long enough and they know how I’m feeling right now. Some stare at me but don’t see me, their eyes as glassy and unfocused as mine must be. Most of them are off-key. But hey, beggars can’t be choosers, and drunks are lucky to get any sort of birthday celebration at all.

I stare awkwardly down at the table and try to remember the last birthday I was actually sober. It certainly wasn’t this one.

I had planned to stop drinking by forty and if I had, I wouldn’t be spending the big four-oh in the hospital’s involuntary admittance program, listening to a bunch of strangers sing happy birthday instead of my family.

They all stop singing at different times and on different notes and I try to smile my thanks. My lips are dry and cracked. There’s no cake. Nobody hands me a cigar. I could use a drink.

Ope! Looks like you don't have access to this story. Already a member? Simply log in. Not yet a member? No problem. You can get access to tons of stories for FREE by registering here.

Other stories you might like...

Our Love is a Superpower: A Story from Kayla to Ben

Posted in ,

He knew the first moment he saw her that he wanted to share his life and his secret with her.

Read the Story

A Mother Waits: A Story from a Son to a Mother

Posted in

It’s your birthday and I want to pick up the phone, but I don’t. I want to call you and tell you the story I tell you every year. The story of how I waited and waited for my firstborn son to arrive. I could tell you how nervous we were when the pains started because no matter how prepared you think you are, everything becomes real with that first tugging. 

Read the Story

Hell.

Posted in

“I don’t believe in hell,” I blurted. It was a half-shouted whisper, a hiss only audible to the person next to me—we were in a church after all.  My dad looked up from his spot beside me.  To my declaration of disbelief in the bargaining chip that was supposed to keep Christians in line, keep…

Read the Story

Allison Spooner

Allison Spooner brings worlds, characters, and stories to life in as few words as possible. In the last two years, she's published two books of short fiction; Flash in the Dark: A Collection of Flash Fiction and The Problem With Humans: And Other Stories. Allison’s writing crosses genres and has been compared to The Twilight Zone and Harlon Ellison.

Leave a Comment

Unlimited Stories. Digital Versions of Allison's Books. Forever. Just $19.99