The Magical Land of Birthdays

air guitar.
“What are you doing to celebrate back home?” Amirah asked. “My mom and I made the most incredible cake this morning. It’s shaped like a unicorn, with all these rainbow frosting swirls for the mane and a shimmery golden horn, and inside . . . well, you kind of have to see it to believe it, but inside there’s a special surprise!”
“That sounds amazing,” Mei replied. “I have a special cake too. My oba-chan makes it every year! It’s a strawberry shortcake, made of sponge—”
“Sponge?” Elvis asked, wrinkling his nose.
“Sponge cake,” Amirah explained. Then she glanced over at Mei. “Right?”
“Exactly right,” Mei replied. “Oba-chan brushes it with sugar syrup and layers it with fresh whipped cream and the most beautiful strawberries you can imagine!”
“Like those, I bet,” Amirah said as she gestured at the field.
“Yeah—kind of,” Mei said. “The strawberries back home aren’t quite so big, though!” Then she turned to Elvis. “Do you have a special birthday cake?”
“Mmm-hmm. Peanut butter and banana,” he said.
“I’ve never had peanut butter and banana cake before,” Amirah said. “Peanut butter and banana sandwiches, yes . . . peanut butter and banana cake, no.”
“It’s soooo good,” Elvis told her. “The cake is like banana bread, but fluffier, and the frosting—that’s my favorite part—is like really sweet, creamy peanut butter. I could eat it every single day!”
Suddenly, Amirah saw something across the strawberry field, where a lone candy-apple tree grew. She felt that same strange tingly feeling, as if sprinkles were cascading down her spine.
There was a figure, standing alone, watching them.
Amirah’s voice dropped to a hush. “Do you see that?” she asked her new friends.
“Is that a person?” Mei asked.
Amirah nodded. “I think it’s a girl,” she started to say.
Then something incredible happened. The girl—whoever she was—flickered, as though she were made of light that had started to dim. Just as quickly, she appeared solid again. But that flickering—
Amirah was sure she’d seen it, and from the looks on her friends’ faces, she knew they’d seen it too.
“I know her!” Amirah said. “I saw her in my dream!”

Without another word, Amirah took off running across the strawberry field, weaving through the long rows of plants and even leaping over some of them. She heard footsteps thundering behind her and felt a pulse of gratitude in her heart. She should’ve known that Elvis and Mei would follow her.
After all, that’s what friends are for.
As she got closer, Amirah got a better look at the girl. She had long blond hair that had been twisted into a braid, and she was wearing a sundress that seemed to change colors when she moved. A sense of sadness hung over her like a shadow.
“Hey,” Amirah called. “I want to—”
When the girl looked up, their eyes met. Amirah was struck by the sorrow in the girl’s gray-green eyes.
“Please . . .” Amirah said breathlessly.
The girl slipped around the other side of the tree. Amirah caught a glimpse of her dress, flickering—
But by the time she reached the candy-apple tree, the girl was gone.
Amirah leaned against the grooved tree trunk and realized it was made of chocolate. She absentmindedly broke off a piece of chocolate bark and began to nibble at it. So many questions swirled through her head, it was hard to keep track of them all.
“Did you find her?”
Amirah glanced up to see Elvis and Mei standing nearby. She shook her head. “I got pretty close,” she replied. “Close enough to look into her eyes. But she . . . disappeared . . .”
“Like . . . vanished?” Mei asked incredulously. “Into thin air?”
“Yes and no,” Amirah said. “I mean, I guess it’s possible. But she might’ve run away instead.”
“But why?” Elvis asked. “I mean, you’re not exactly scary, you know?”
“Thanks.” Amirah chuckled. “She definitely didn’t want to talk to me. She just . . .”
When Amirah’s voice trailed off, Mei nudged her. “What?” she said.
“I don’t know.” Amirah sighed. “She just seems so . . . so . . . so sad. She seems like she needs a friend.”
Everyone was quiet for a long moment.
“It doesn’t seem fair that she feels so sad in such an incredible place,” Mei finally said.
“I know, right?” Amirah said. “This place is made of pure joy—”
“And sugar!” Elvis cracked.
“Yes, joy and sugar,” Amirah said, laughing again. Then a new thought struck her, making her laughter fade away. “Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?” Elvis asked.
“Do you think it’s her birthday too?” Amirah asked. “Is she one of the B-Buds?”
From their silence, Amirah could tell that Elvis and Mei hadn’t thought of that either.
“No one should be miserable on their birthday,” Mei said firmly. “It should be against the law!”
“I agree,” Amirah said. “A birthday is special . . . perfect . . . a day to celebrate being born. Being here!”
“Not just here, though,” Elvis said a moment later. “But also being at home.”
“Being with family.” Mei nodded.
“And being with friends,” Amirah added. “Friends. Maybe that’s it. Maybe she needs a friend.”
“If it’s her birthday too, she definitely needs her B-Buds,” Mei said.
“Definitely,” Amirah agreed. “So that means we have to find her.”
“She could be anywhere, though,” Elvis said. “Where do we start?”
No one could answer his question. Wherever they were, the land was big and broad, stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. Amirah sat down with a sigh and started drumming her fingers on the ground. Should they go back to where she’d started? Forge ahead into the places unknown? Keep following the trail?
Zbp. Zbp. Zbp.
Amirah’s fingers stopped moving.
Zbp. Zbp. Zbp.
There was a faint trembling happening under the ground. Amirah could barely hear it—she could barely feel it—but somehow, she knew it was there.
Zbp. Zbp. Zbp.
Amirah leaned closer to the ground, and that’s when she saw it: a smattering of sprinkles, vibrating in time with the trembling she sensed. Instinctively, she reached for her little container of sprinkles, just in case she’d accidentally spilled some.
But it was still in her pocket, the lid screwed on tightly as always.
That meant the sprinkles, wherever they’d come from, were part of this place—this mysterious, magical place.
Zbp. Zbp. Zbp.
Amirah