Vibrant-coloured streamers were hanging from one end of the ceiling to another. Numerous helium-filled balloons tied to the children’s wrists swayed gently under the whirling fan. The sound of merry laughter echoed off the walls. It was a joyous occasion for the Tans were celebrating Yihan’s ninth birthday. Her parents had prepared an elaborated party just for her.
However, Yihan was not really happy. The thought that her arch-enemy, Zhaodong, was on the guest list made her cringe on the inside. Oh, how she hated this cousin to the core! He loved bullying her since young and had played countless pranks on her. Zhaodong's presence was definitely her nightmare!
“Well, it’s time now to cut the cake!” Yihan’s mother, Stella, chirped. The excited children were all eager to savour the dark-chocolate ice-cream cake. Its aroma lingered in the air and made saliva pool in their mouths.
All eyes were focused on Yihan, the birthday girl. Being the centre of attraction, she hurried towards the cake but she did not realise that Zhaodong had devilishly stepped on the tail of her long, flowery dress.
As a result, Yihan lost her footing and fell straight towards the cake. Piak! Her porcelain–smooth face landed onto the delectable ice-cream cake. Stella immediately helped her up. When Yihan looked up, her entire face was full of brown cake icing and scraps. She looked as if she had just fallen headlong into a pile of cow dung! The kids could not contain themselves and soon erupted into peals of laughter. It was utter embarrassment for the poor birthday girl. Ripples of shock swept over the invited adults while Zhaodong flashed a naughty smirk.
Yihan instinctively knew Zhaodong was the mastermind. Hot searing rage throbbed painfully at her temples. She shot him an icy stare, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. That was definitely the last straw. She knew she had to plot her revenge.
She went upstairs and cleaned herself up. In her room, she racked her brain for a wicked idea to take her vengeanne. Her gaze fell on the glass of milk that had been left on the study table. She remembered her mother had mentioned before that Zhaodong was allergic to milk. Smiling to herself, she dipped her finger into the glass of milk.
Next, she rushed down from her room and pretended nothing had happened. She then observed Zhaodong from a distance. She noticed that Zhaodong was drinking a cup of Coke and waited for the golden opportunity to strike. Lady Luck was on her side. Zhaodong took his leave and needed to visit the restroom. Yihan grabbed the chance and dipped her whole finger inside to complete her task.
Fortunately, no one noticed her move. Once the deed was done, Yihan smugly sneaked away to a corner with an unmistakable glint in her marble-black eyes. In her mind, she was imagining the scene of Zhaodong breaking out in a rash or wheezing non-stop. The chain of events that unfolded was definitely not what she had expected.
Within minutes after taking another sip of the thirst-quenching Coke, he collapsed onto the marble floor and started foaming. Everyone panicked for no one knew what had caused the reaction. At first, Yihan’s eyes widened in glee. However, things worsened quickly for Zhaodong who started shivering and his face was turning ashen. Someone immediately called for an ambulance.
Yihan’s happiness now turned to dread. “What have I done?” she muttered under her breath. What if Zhaodong died? She would be haunted by guilt for the rest of her life. At that thought, a chill ran down her spine.
Soon, the ambulance arrived and Yihan overheard a paramedic saying, “The doctor will not be able to treat him in time unless he knows the cause of the reaction.”
Yihan swallowed down the stone in her throat. She was stricken with guilt. Despite knowing that everyone would be so upset with her for her grave misdeed and a punishment would await her, she stepped forward to admit her wrongdoing. She then recounted how she had dipped her finger of milk into Zhaodong’s Coke.
“There is hope,” the ambulance attendant smiled. With this knowledge, Zhaodong was immediately whisked to the nearest hospital. The party celebration was cut short and soon everyone made their way home for no one was in the mood to celebrate the birthday anymore.
Yihan had the mother of all dressing-downs from her parents. She was feeling very guilty but fortunately a phone call what came later informed the family that Zhaodong was alright. A wave of relief engulfed Yihan upon hearing the good news. She prayed that he would recover speedily for she told herself that she would no longer mind being pranked by Zhaodong again.
"A prankster is still way better than a dead cousin," she thought to herself, smiling.
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