A birthday Present to Remember

A Birthday Present To Remember

Nathanial celebrated his fourteenth birthday with his family. They had a tasty dinner consisting of fried chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes.

           "Open your presents," Nathanial's mother said. Nathanial looked at the pile of packages beside his plate. He saw three presents wrapped in plain brown paper. He opened the one on top. Two new shirts were inside. The next package held two new pairs of denim jeans. The last present was a new pair of shoes. Nathanial was grateful for the new clothes because he needed them. He had grown six inches since his last birthday, and his old clothes didn't fit.

           "Let's eat cake!" Nathanial's father announced. His mother brought Nathanial's favorite, chocolate cake with white frosting to the table. Fourteen candles were burning brightly on the top.

           "Make a wish," Nathanial's mother instructed.

           Nathanial took a moment to give thanks for his new clothes before he made his birthday wish. "I want one present that isn't practical," he wished to himself. Then, he took a deep breath and blew out all of the candles.

Grandfather Frazier waited until he could speak to Nathanial privately. "I have a special present for you," he said. He was holding a wooden box. "This was made by Silas, one of your ancestors. Silas made this train set over one hundred fifty years before James Watt patented the first train in 1784."

           "How did Silas know what trains looked like?" Nathanial wanted to know.

           "That's part of the legend," Grandfather Frazier answered. "Some members of our family have unusual abilities. Silas could see the future." Grandfather Frazier grew thoughtful before continuing, "Silas came to North America from Ireland. He was an indentured servant for a rich English family. He married Amahle, an African woman who could see details of the past. Amahle worked for the same rich family."

           "They must have made an interesting couple," Nathanial remarked. He stared at the wooden box holding the train set and hoped Grandfather Frazier would hurry and finish the story.

 Grandfather took his time and continued with the family history. "Their uncanny ability to know things made the English family uncomfortable. They gave Silas and Amahle their freedom."

           "What does this have to do with the train set?" Nathanial was getting impatient.

           "You will find out soon enough," Grandfather replied. He peered at Nathanial, "Do you believe that Silas and Amahle had special abilities?"

           Nathanial thought about his ability to know what someone was going to say before they said it. Now he knew that ability came from his ancestors. "Yes, I believe it," he said.

           Grandfather Frazier nodded with satisfaction and held out the box. "You should be safe in your room when you play with this."

           Nathanial was puzzled, but he took the box to his room.

"This looks like a good spot," Nathanial placed the box in a bare spot between his dresser and his bed. He felt a zing of energy when he opened the box.

 "That's just my excitement," he told himself. "An old wooden box doesn't have energy."

           The wooden track pieces fit together with a precession seldom seen in toys. "The track is beautiful," Nathanial whispered to himself. The track was glowing in the dim light shining through his bedroom window. "The glow is from the varnish on the pieces, not from the wood itself," he murmured.

 "Amazing! This engine looks just like an engine from the Union Pacific Railroad." Nathanial put the piece down. Its wheels moved effortlessly on the track. One by one, he added the other cars. "They are painted exactly like the train cars I see today," Nathanial admired. "Now for the caboose." He hooked the last car to the train.

 The room shimmered out of focus. Nathanial steadied himself by touching the bottom drawer of his dresser. "Breath," he took a deep breath. 

"Are you all right?" Nathanial open his eyes and saw a girl. He had never seen her before.

 "How did you . . . ?" He stopped before he said, "get in my bedroom." He looked around, and he wasn't in his bedroom. Instead, he was in a busy building. People were hustling all around.

           "Are you okay? Do you need a bottle of water?" The girl asked.

           "I'm fine," Nathanial assured the girl. She appeared to be about his age, but the girls he knew didn't look like she did. Her hair was purple, and she had a pierced nose. "Can you tell me where I am?" He asked.

 The girl laughed, "You're in New York, silly. Grand Central Station." She grew concerned, "did you hit your head?"

           "I don't think so," Nathanial felt his head. He didn't feel a bump. "What time is it?"

           "The clocks are over there." The girl pointed to a wall filled with clocks.

           "I mean, what day is it?" Nathanial corrected.

           "Sunday, are you positive you're fine?" The girl frowned.

           "What year is this?" Nathanial was still trying to figure out what happened.

           The girl said a date that was twenty years in the future.

           Nathanial just stared.

            "Look at today's newspaper." She pointed to a newsstand.

           "Thank you," Nathanial finally stood to look around. He went over to the newsstand and looked at the papers. The girl hadn't been lying about the date.

           "If you're looking for someone, you can go to the information desk and have them paged." The girl had followed him to the newsstand.

 "Good idea, I'll do that." Nathanial left the girl and started wandering around the station.

 He saw a young couple pushing a stroller. Then he watched an elderly man check the train schedule. He laughed when he saw a toddler trying to run away from his mom. 

           Then he saw a bald man with a beard come through the doors. He was agitated, looking nervously around. The man walked over to a trash can. He measured the can with his hands, then measured the rucksack he was carrying. Nathanial watched as the man surveyed the crowd; he must have been satisfied because he turned back to the trash can. He placed his rucksack behind the trash can as if he were handling a dozen raw eggs. The bald man walked across and turned to survey the trash can. Nathanial saw him smile and hurry out of the building.

 Nathanial could not contain his curiosity. He walked over to the rucksack and to look inside. It looked like a stopwatch was attached to a metal canister. Nathanial reached out to pick it up when the room shimmered out of focus. He secured himself by touching the trash can. Nathanial blinked three times to steady his vision. He was back in his bedroom when he opened his eyes.

           His hand was touching the bottom drawer of his dresser.

 "Wow! Now, what should I do?" Nathanial asked himself. Quickly, so he would not forget, he wrote down the date of his vision and the place, Grand Central Station, New York.

           "I have twenty years to figure this out," Nathanial reassured himself.

Nathanial didn't need the note that he wrote to himself twenty years ago. The vision still burned in his memory.

 Nathanial worked for Homeland Security. He felt honored to be part of an elite team that kept the country safe. The general public had no idea of the danger Nathanial and his team prevented. Nathanial didn't care. After all, he wasn't part of the team because he wanted to be famous.

           Nathanial stood in Grand Central Station and scrutinized the people hurrying to their destination.

           "I'm sure I recognize that girl," Nathanial told himself. She had purple hair and a nose ring.

           "There, I see an older gentleman checking the train schedule. Is he the same man I saw twenty years ago?" Nathanial asked himself.

           A bald man entered the station. His nervous demeanor stood out, even in New York City.

           "I'm going to demand that that man opens his rucksack," Nathanial told his teammates.

           None of his teammates questioned him. They had all seen Nathanial's ability to read body language and ascertain the terrorists.

           "Hand over the rucksack," Nathanial ordered.

 The bald man dropped the bag and ran. He shoved onlookers out of his way so he could get outside quickly. A couple pushing a stroller was in his way. The bald man tried to shove the woman out of the way, but the young father tripped him.

           "We've got him," Nathanial's teammates shouted. The bald man had his hands behind his back in handcuffs. 

           Nathanial picked up the rucksack and looked inside. He saw a timer attached to a metal canister.

"The canister contained sarin. Sarin is the deadly nerve gas that killed so many people in the Japan subway attack'" the chief of Homeland Security told Nathanial's team. "You saved everyone in Grand Central Station today. Unfortunately, the public will never know because we don't want to start a panic." Nathanial had heard this speech before, but he didn't mind. He was in Homeland Security to save lives, not for the glory,

Natalie's family gathered together for her fourteenth birthday.

 She thanked everyone for the presents. She assured her family that she was delighted. Then it was time for birthday cake.

 "Make a wish," her mom said. Her mom brought out a chocolate cake with fourteen candles.

           "I wish for some excitement," Natalie wished to herself.

           Nathanial waited until he could speak to his granddaughter privately. "I have a special present for you. Wait to open this until you are safe in your room." He handed her an old wooden box.