I Am Ethan Stone

A Cake and A Wish

     I don't know what it was about it but I always wanted one. Was it the advertisement online? Or was it the way the water called to me? A kayak.

     A canoe of a type used originally by the Inuit, made of a light frame with a watertight covering having a small opening in the top to sit in.

     I wanted one, no, I needed one. Tomorrow was my 12th birthday and I had one birthday wish. A kayak. One just for me. The pond near my house, it just sat there. Nobody ever thought about going in it. Not even a fish or a frog. No pond scum, plants or anything for that matter. It was just H2O and the sand underneath it.

     But why? I had been living here for about 3 years now and nobody ever explained why. After those long school days I walk to the pond and sat at the edge, staring at my reflection. My dark brown eyes and jet black hair looking back at me. It calmed me. School was stressful. Not just school but my life in general.

     My parents got divorced when I was younger. My father with a beer constantly in his hand, and my poor mother, trying to change his ways but would get black and blue in return. But now a days it might seem normal. Marriage is a joke. Having children and wanting to spend the rest of your life together? What a bunch of baloney. It never works out. There is no such thing as a happy ending. When the book ends, the story continues. You just can't see it. Just like when the door is closed in a home, you can't see the truth. It's not a happy family that they portray you to think, it's nothing but a bunch of shattered pieces that are sharper than glass.

    Taking a deep breathe in I picked up a rock and chucked it as far as I could into the pond. I stood up and started to walk back to my mother's house. She was in the kitchen, with a red mixing bowl on the counter. The wooden spoon in her hand, and messy apron on her torso. She looked up at me and smiled.  "Hey Ethan, how was school?" I started to take off my backpack that weighed a ton, "It was alright  I guess." I said. "Oh, well I've started to bake your cake for tomorrow! My birthday boy, 12 years old." My eyes shifted towards the floor and I let out a small sigh. "What's wrong honey? Aren't you excited? I'm baking your favorite..!" She said in a cheerful tone. "I'm okay Mom. I'm just tired, I have some homework to do." I turned and headed up the stairs to my room.