by Gia Masih

Today’s my daughter’s birthday. She gets up like she does every day — taking her time. Wearily her eyes blink open, she sits on the edge of the bed for seventeen minutes.

The sun hangs high in the sky while she sits on the couch, waiting for the cake to bake. At 3 pm, she answers the anticipated raps on the front door. Joy bursts through, surrounding her, leaping at her small frame. Warm smiles linger back.

“Happy 99th birthday, nana!”

I look on. She doesn’t look back. She knows I wished her already — I turned off her lights twice.

Gia Masih is an 18 year old writer from India. Her short story, Through the wind, has been published in Press Pause Press. She likes to read, write fiction, and create digital art of original characters in her spare time. She is also passionate about music and theatre.