"What horrible weather it is outside," William thought, when he looked out of the window. "So much rain on my birthday. Who wants to go out now?" "Well, not me. I'd rather stay inside, with my jug and rug." He switched on the television and lay down on his bed. "Being inside the house is not bad at all," he smiled. Yesterday, the man on the news said it was going to be a day with lots of sun. But it definitely wasn 't a sunny day, with a blue sky for playing with his kite in the open air, or running around with his black dog in the wood near the house. Not today. It was almost cold enough to skate. It's a television day, William thought. That's what it is. "Hey, Mr. Birthday, do you intend to lay on your bed the whole day?" his mother asked. "You definitely win the first prize for being lazy." "Look what I've bought in the shop next door. There's no price too high for my little prince." William did not understand whether this was one of his mother's pranks. She gave him a plate with delicious food. Fresh fish like eel, raw her ring, squid, and chips with a nice crust, covered with a nice smelling sauce with herbs. "If it's not warm enough, I can fry it a bit more," she said. He recognized the great smell of a type of herb from the garden next to the house. It really smelled delicious, and soon the sauce was dripping off his chin. "And this morning I ordered a pie for your birthday in the new shop at the end of the street," said his mother. The one close to the brown tree next to the dry spring. "Shall we go and get it together with the yak?" The yak was the name his mother always used for her van. And a bit of fresh air would be good for you. "I have to boil an egg and pin my hair, and after that we can go, okay?" William was not interested in fresh air, but a ride in his mother's car was one of those things he always liked. When he put on his shoe, he felt his toe hurting. "Ouch! Mom, these shoes are too small, they hurt, and the zip is broken." His mother came in and put her finger in front of her lips. "You don't have to shout like that. I can hear you. We also have to buy glue spray and a pot for my new plant." At that moment, they heard the cooking timer ring. His mother went to the kitchen, took the egg pan off the fire, put in some fresh water from the tap, and re-entered the room. "Now come on, my sweet little prince. Please get up, put on your sweater, go and blow your nose, and let's go. The yak is waiting for us. And please take the coins from the table so I can buy a parking ticket. Off we go. Don 't forget, we have to be home again soon because Papa will phone you this afternoon from the ship. He might have bought you a wonderful toy. Who knows?" William put on the sweater with stripes and kicked away the baseball glove he got from his grandfather that was lying on the ground. It nearly hit his mother's gold foil vase and the stuffed owl on its stand. William was shocked. That wouldn't have been a very nice present on his birthday. "As soon as they drove away, William heard a sound coming from the trunk." "Shouldn't we strap the barrel in the back?" he asked his mother. "It might break." "You're right, my prince," she answered. "Let 's try to do so. It may fly anywhere like this, and it might even break. At least let us haul it backwards and tighten it well. We would do better to reduce speed and stop to fix it. There's a good spot to stop, just after the indoor ice rink." She stopped the car, stepped out, and closed the door with a slap. "It is quite heavy, so you push and I will pull, okay? Watch out, you don't slip. It is slippery here." She shouted, but it was already too late. With a sudden flip, William was lying on the ground. He saw his mother freeze, and then she came to him. "Give me a break. You scared me. Are you okay? Or do I have to drag you all the way home?" "Of course I'm okay," said William. "Big boys don't cry," his mother smiled. "My great little prince," she said, and she helped him to get up and gave him a big hug. After this slippery adventure, they picked up the pie and went to some other stores. Then they drove home again. There William waited for the telephone to ring. He couldn't wait to hear his father's voice. He had been away from home for so long now. And then, just after his mum had brought him a piece of the nice smelling cake, the phone rang. William ran to the phone and answered it. " Hello?" "Is this my big boy speaking?" "Daddy!" William was very happy to hear his daddy. He smiled and laughed and talked and talked. And after his father had promised to come home soon, William felt very relieved. "Finally!" " What a strange but wonderful birthday it had been." That night, William slept dreaming of big ships, wide open seas, and big, big birthday presents.