The Birthday Surprise

Tom and Anna are brother and sister. Tom is ten years old. Anna is seven years old. They live in a small house with their mother and father.

Tomorrow is Anna's birthday. She will be eight years old. Tom wants to make a special surprise for his sister. He loves Anna very much.

In the morning, Tom wakes up early. It is six o'clock. Anna is still sleeping. Tom goes to the kitchen quietly. His mother is making breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom," Tom says softly. "Can I help you?"

"Good morning, Tom," his mother says. "Why are you up so early?"

"I want to make something special for Anna's birthday," Tom says. "Can we make a cake?"

His mother smiles. "That's a wonderful idea! But we need to go shopping first. We need eggs, flour, and chocolate."

"Can we go now?" Tom asks.

"Let's have breakfast first. Then we can go to the store," his mother says.

Tom eats his breakfast quickly. He has toast with butter and jam. He drinks orange juice. His father comes to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" his father asks.

"Tom and I are going shopping," his mother says. "We want to make a birthday cake for Anna."

"That's nice! I will stay home with Anna," his father says. "She is still sleeping."

Tom and his mother walk to the store. It is a sunny day. The store is not far from their house. It takes ten minutes to walk there.

At the store, Tom pushes the shopping cart. His mother has a list. They need many things for the cake.

"First, we need eggs," his mother says. They go to find the eggs. Tom puts twelve eggs in the cart carefully.

"Now we need flour," his mother says. Tom finds a big bag of flour. It is heavy, but he can carry it.

They also buy sugar, butter, and chocolate. Tom sees colorful candles. "Can we buy these candles?" he asks.

"Yes, we need eight candles for Anna," his mother says.

Tom also sees balloons. They are red, blue, yellow, and green. "Can we buy balloons too?" he asks.

"Good idea! Let's buy ten balloons," his mother says.

They pay for everything and walk home. Tom carries the balloons. They float in the air. He feels very happy.

At home, Anna is eating breakfast with their father. "Where did you go?" Anna asks Tom.

"We went for a walk," Tom says. He hides the balloons behind his back.

"What's behind your back?" Anna asks.

"Nothing!" Tom says and runs to his room. He puts the balloons in his closet.

After lunch, Tom's father takes Anna to the park. "Let's go play on the swings," he says to Anna.

"Yay! I love the park!" Anna says. They leave the house.

Now Tom and his mother can make the cake. They go to the kitchen. Tom washes his hands. His mother gets a big bowl.

"First, we mix the butter and sugar," his mother says. Tom helps to mix. It is hard work.

"Now we add the eggs," his mother says. Tom breaks the eggs carefully. One, two, three, four eggs go into the bowl.

"Good job, Tom!" his mother says. They add flour and chocolate. The mixture smells delicious.

His mother puts the cake in the oven. "It needs to bake for thirty minutes," she says.

While the cake is baking, Tom makes a birthday card. He uses colored paper and crayons. He draws a picture of Anna. He writes: "Happy Birthday Anna! Love, Tom."

The cake is ready. It smells wonderful. Tom's mother takes it out of the oven. "We need to let it cool down," she says.

Tom helps to make chocolate frosting. They spread it on the cake. It looks beautiful. Tom puts eight candles on the cake.

"Now let's decorate the house," his mother says. Tom gets the balloons from his room. They blow up the balloons. Tom's cheeks hurt from blowing.

They hang the balloons in the living room. Tom also makes a big sign. It says "Happy Birthday Anna!" He uses red and pink markers.

Tom's father calls. "We are coming home now," he says.

"Quick! Let's hide!" Tom says. He and his mother turn off the lights. They hide behind the sofa with the cake.

They hear the door open. "Why is it so dark?" Anna asks.

"Maybe there's no electricity," their father says. He turns on the lights.

"SURPRISE!" Tom and his mother jump out. "Happy Birthday, Anna!"

Anna's eyes open wide. She sees the cake, the balloons, and the sign. "Oh wow!" she says. "Is this for me?"

"Yes! I made the cake for you," Tom says proudly. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! Thank you, Tom!" Anna hugs her brother. "You're the best brother ever!"

They sing "Happy Birthday" together. Anna closes her eyes and makes a wish. She blows out all eight candles.

"What did you wish for?" Tom asks.

"I can't tell you, or it won't come true!" Anna laughs.

They eat the cake. It is delicious. Anna opens her presents. She gets a new doll from her parents. She gets a puzzle from her grandmother who sent it by mail.

"This is the best birthday ever!" Anna says. She is very happy.

At bedtime, Anna comes to Tom's room. "Tom, thank you for my surprise party," she says.

"You're welcome, Anna. Happy birthday," Tom says.

"I want to tell you my wish," Anna whispers. "I wished that you would always be my brother."

Tom smiles. "That wish already came true," he says. "I will always be your brother."

Anna hugs Tom again. "I love you, Tom."

"I love you too, Anna. Good night."

"Good night."

The next morning, Tom wakes up and finds a note under his door. It is from Anna. The note says: "Dear Tom, Thank you for the best birthday surprise. You are not just my brother. You are my best friend. Love, Anna."

Tom keeps the note in his special box. He feels warm and happy inside. Making his sister happy made him happy too.

From that day, Tom and Anna celebrate every birthday together. They always remember the special birthday surprise. And they always make wishes that have already come true - to have each other as brother and sister forever.