I moseyed up the long driveway,
Lost in thoughts of school and my life and my friends.
No reason to hurry,
For I didn’t know about the surprise
Waiting for me at the top of the hill.
A laser lemon Post-it note
Stuck on the front door
Started all the fun.
I didn’t understand what was happening,
Didn’t comprehend that I was being sent
On a treasure hunt
For my twelfth birthday.
My siblings
Had never done anything so nice.
My excitement rose
As I rushed inside.
There they were,
Waiting for me with grins on their faces.
My siblings.
I grinned right back,
Eager to find the unexpected present.
Actually, my siblings putting together
A treasure hunt for me
Was present enough.
The baby of the family
With an older sister and two older brothers
Gets used to being picked on.
My siblings
Rarely ever shined good attention on me,
Much preferring to mercilessly tease me.
This treasure hunt was such a happy surprise!
I followed the directions on the notes,
Rushing downstairs
And out to the pool
And back into the garage
And under my bed
And behind the tv
And on the pool table.
I zigzagged and skipped to each new destination,
Never losing the smile or determination
No matter how intentionally difficult
They made the chase.
My siblings
Watched on, happy for my excitement.
The last clue led me
Into the hall bathroom
And I didn’t pause,
Not even for a second.
No warning thoughts entered my brain,
Nothing slowed me down or seemed out of the ordinary.
I was just so excited!
I lifted up the porcelain lid of the toilet,
Somehow still oblivious to anything amuck,
Somehow still expecting a normal present,
And screamed.
I ran out of the bathroom,
Jumping over my siblings
Who were rolling on the ground with laughter.
You could say it was my shittiest birthday ever.