One perfect present for every person, she thought. If there was one thing in the whole wide world that would represent Amirah . . .
“The power of sprinkles!” she whispered.
She started roaming the aisles through the tent, moving faster and faster, knowing in her heart that she would recognize her present as soon as she spotted it.
And then she saw it: a box, big enough that she needed to hold it with both hands, wrapped in sparkly pink paper.
The large bow, which was as big as Amirah’s head, was made of sprinkle-covered ribbon.
It wasn’t just the sprinkles on the ribbon that told Amirah this was the perfect present for her. It was the way she felt drawn to it, as though the box contained some sort of magnet that pulled her closer . . . and closer . . . and closer . . .
When Amirah reached the box, she hesitated for just a moment. The stakes were so high. What if she was wrong? What if she accidentally opened the wrong gift . . . and made someone else’s perfect present disappear forever?
Just then, Amirah felt something soft brush against her arm. She jumped in surprise, then spun around to see Cara the Unicorn standing there.
“Hi,” Amirah whispered as she stroked Cara’s forehead. “Did I find it? Is this the one?”
As Amirah stared into Cara’s eyes, she knew the answer.
Amirah took a deep breath and picked up the present.
Her present.
It was surprisingly heavy in her hands.
Amirah slipped off the sprinkle-covered bow and unwrapped the heavy pink paper carefully so that it wouldn’t tear. At last, her perfect present was revealed. It didn’t crumble or turn to dust or disappear.
“My present,” Amirah whispered. She looked up at Cara, her eyes shining with happiness. “It’s real!”
“B-Buds!” Amirah cried. “I found it! I found my present!”
Their footsteps clattered through the tent as Elvis, Mei, Olivia, Lacey, and Ziggy raced to meet her.
“What is it?” they asked, all at the same time.
“It’s a book,” Amirah said, her voice filled with wonder as she stared at the cover. The image on it shifted every few seconds. First a cake . . . then a card . . . then a gift . . . then a bunch of balloons . . .
Amirah lightly traced her hand across the cover of the book. Suddenly, words began to appear where her fingers had been.
She gasped, then read: “The Story of the Magical Land of Birthdays.”
Amirah looked up at the B-Buds. “I think this is it,” she said. “The clue we’ve been searching for. I think we’re going to find out everything we need to know.”
“What are we waiting for?” Elvis asked eagerly. “Let’s read it!”
Amirah and the B-Buds sat on the ground in a circle. Then Amirah opened the book.
The page was blank.
She quickly turned to the next page, only to discover it was blank too.
“They’re blank,” she said as she flipped from one page to the next. She looked up at her B-Buds in dismay. “It’s a blank book!”
Everyone started talking at once.
“Is it a fake?”
“Is it someone else’s present?”
“Maybe you’re supposed to write the story of the Magical Land of Birthdays!”
“Maybe the story starts now!”
Amirah tried to focus. In her heart, she knew it was the right present. But she couldn’t figure out why the pages were blank. There had to be a reason—
Turn the page.
The voice inside Amirah was louder than ever. She nodded, almost to herself. She would turn every page in this thick book, each and every one of hundreds of pages, until she reached the very end.
“Amirah?”
She glanced up.
“It’s blank. Why do you keep turning the pages?” Mei asked.
“I don’t know,” Amirah said simply. “I just want to see every page—just to make sure—”
Then, suddenly, she gasped. Halfway through the book, words began to appear like magic the moment Amirah touched the page.
The Birthday Basher
She read the words aloud, her voice trembling with excitement.
“Whoa,” Elvis said. “What—where—how—”
“The words?” Amirah asked, keeping her fingers pressed against the page. “I don’t know, honestly. It’s like . . .”
Amirah’s voice trailed off as she tried to find the words. “It’s like the book is only going to tell us what we need to know,” she finished.
“Hurry, then,” Lacey urged her. “Hurry before the words disappear!”
As if on cue, all the B-Buds inched forward, eager to hear what the book would reveal.
Amirah took a deep breath and began to read.
The Birthday Basher
There came to pass that a boy was born with more birthday magic than anyone before him. This boy, destined to become the prince of the Magical Land of Birthdays, was filled with so much birthday magic that he brought joy to everyone around him—no matter if it was their birthday or not.
As such, he found a previously unidentified route to the Magical Land of Birthdays at an early age and became the youngest human to venture into the land. His B-Buds soon followed, one after another, as the boy’s powerful birthday magic drew them forth. They forged an unbreakable birthday bond. Everyone in the land rejoiced when he was crowned the prince, for under his guidance and leadership, it was certain that birthday joy would continue to grow until each and every person was filled with it!
Then it all came crashing down. Some terrible deed, some deep disappointment, befell the prince. No longer did he love birthdays. Now he hated them, despised them, and the birthday magic within him curdled into something bitter and ugly. Though his powers continued to grow, they transformed into unhappy birthday magic, and—unbeknownst to him—unleashed a curse across all the land. It was a contagion that, left unchecked, would sap the joy and love of birthdays from all until birthdays themselves were forgotten.
There is but one who can stop the Birthday Basher from continuing his reign of misery, an individual who was blessed with birthday magic to rival his own. But until this individual is revealed, the Birthday Basher’s ceaseless quest will continue to destroy the Magical Land of Birthdays and all birthday magic, day . . . by day . . . by day.
When Amirah finished reading, the B-Buds were quiet. The seriousness of the story weighed heavily on them. No one knew what to say—or do.
“It wasn’t just our imaginations, then,” Amirah finally said. “There really is something wrong in the Magical Land of Birthdays.”
“Turn the page,” Lacey urged her. “See if the book says anything else.”
No one spoke as Amirah turned the pages, one by one, until she reached the very end of the book. There weren’t any other words. That single chapter about the Birthday Basher was all the book wanted them to know.
“I wish we had more information,” Olivia said. “Who is this guy, anyway? How can we find him?”
“I wish we knew more about what happened to him,” Amirah said. “I can’t imagine anything that could make me hate birthdays.”
“Did you ever think that maybe the book is trying to tell us that we can’t stop him?” Lacey spoke up.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“I mean, it sounds like the only person who can stop the Birthday Basher is some kind of birthday-loving superhero with super birthday magic,” she continued. “And if that’s not one of us, then maybe it’s saying we should go home.”
“Go home?” Amirah repeated in surprise. “You mean give up? No. I could never do that.”
Lacey looked uncomfortable. “I just mean, what if this is all pointless? What if we can’t do anything to fix what’s happening?”
Amirah took a deep breath. Lacey was entitled to her opinion, and Amirah respected it, but she completely disagreed with what her newest B-Bud was saying.
“You don’t have to stay if you don�
��t want to,” Amirah said firmly. “But I can’t leave. Not now. I have to find a way to stop what’s happening.”
There was a long silence.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Lacey said finally.
“We’re your B-Buds,” Mei added, and the rest of the group nodded. “We’re with you all the way.”
Amirah flashed her a grateful smile. “Thanks,” she said. Then she absentmindedly pulled out the vial of sprinkles from her pocket. She shook a few into her hand and popped them into her mouth. The familiar sweetness swirled through her mouth as suddenly—
“Birthday cake!” she exclaimed, making all the other B-Buds jump.
“Huh?” Mei said, scrunching up her face in confusion.
Amirah leaped to her feet. “The Birthday Basher’s birthday cake,” she continued in a rush. “If we can find it, I think it will tell us everything we need to know. Birthday cakes are so special. So personal. They’re more than just a cake. They’re filled with—”
“Birthday magic,” Elvis finished for her.
“Yes,” Amirah said. “Exactly!”
“You don’t think his cake could be in here, do you?” Olivia asked, glancing around at the towers of presents that surrounded them.
“I don’t think so,” Amirah said. “A birthday present isn’t quite the same thing as a birthday cake.”
Then she had another idea.
“Cara!” Amirah said, turning to the unicorn. “Are we on the right track? Do you know where we can find out about the Basher’s favorite birthday cake?”
With a swish and swirl of her colorful mane, Cara nodded and pawed at the ground. All the B-Buds could tell she was saying yes.
Amirah placed her hand on Cara’s back. “Show us the way!” she said.
The B-Buds hurried after Cara as she galloped through the streets of Sparkle City. Left, right, straight, right, straight, left—soon they felt so twisted and turned around that Amirah didn’t know if they’d be able to find the present tent again if they tried.
But it was clear that Cara knew exactly where she was going, and Amirah trusted her special friend completely.
The sun had started to set, making the streets of Sparkle City glitter with golden light. It was getting late, Amirah knew. They wouldn’t have much more time before nightfall.
At last, Cara came to a halt before a cavernous building. It had dozens of turrets, each one topped with a decoration that looked like a dollop of frosting. The towers at each corner resembled swirly-striped birthday cake candles, and at the very top of each one flickered a real flame.
“What is this place?” Mei asked in astonishment.
“Look,” Amirah said, pointing at a sign that hung above the jeweled double doors. “It’s the Hall of Birthday Cakes! Come on—let’s see what’s inside!”
The moment the B-Buds stepped into the Hall of Birthday Cakes, they were overcome by the most delicious scents. Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, strawberry, lemon, and sugar all combined to create a heavenly aroma.
The smell couldn’t compete with the sights, though. The long corridor was lined with delicately lit glass-and-crystal cases. And inside each case was a different birthday cake!
“Look!” Olivia called. “There’s a card too. It has a name and a birthday and a favorite color.”
“You know what this means?” Lacey exclaimed. “Our birthday cakes must be in here too!”
“Do you think we can find them?” Mei asked.
“I think we should try!” Amirah replied. “There’s just one question—where to begin?”
“This place is huge.” Elvis spoke up. “Should we start at one end and make our way to the other?”
“That makes sense,” Amirah said, nodding.
“It’s gonna take us hours to get all the way through the entire building,” Olivia said. “Maybe even days!”
“Then we don’t have any time to lose,” Amirah said.
The B-Buds walked over to the far side of the building, where Amirah spotted a small sign with ice-blue letters on it. “Look!” she cried. “January! The cakes must be arranged by month! No—by date!”
“That means our birthday will be easy to find!” Ziggy exclaimed. “Follow me!”
The B-Buds raced after Ziggy until they arrived at the section marked January 8. Even then, it wasn’t as easy to find their cakes as they expected. After all, there were millions of other people who shared their special birthday around the world.
With some careful searching, though, each cake was eventually revealed. Amirah’s sprinkle-filled unicorn cake, Mei’s strawberry cake, Olivia’s fairy bread. Then Elvis’s peanut-butter-and-banana cake and Lacey’s coconut cake and Ziggy’s caterpillar cake!
“B-Buds, check out this cool popcorn cake,” Amirah cried, pointing to a cake for someone named Nancy Gates.
“I guess that’s a long-lost B-Bud of ours who really loves popcorn,” Elvis commented.
“Or maybe she loves eating popcorn when she’s watching TV like I do,” Amirah giggled.
Birthday cakes for B-Buds born on January 8 stretched as far as the eye could see. There were even birthday cakes for famous people who shared their birthday, like David Bowie, Elvis Presley, and Stephen Hawking.
Amirah stared at her own special birthday cake. She could see her reflection smiling in the glass case that surrounded it. Just seeing the cake made her feel excited about her birthday, even though it was still six months away!
Amirah knew, though, that they didn’t have time to linger. There were many more aisles left for January, followed by February and all the other months of the year.
“Should we split up?” Lacey suggested. “One B-Bud per aisle?”
Amirah nodded. “I think that’s a good idea,” she said. “If you find a cake that might belong to the Birthday Basher, yell and we’ll all come running.”
“What if we see a cake that’s just really cool?” Elvis called a few minutes later. “I’m in March, and the cake for a guy named Jeffrey Harrow, born March 29, looks just like a golf course!”
Amirah giggled but resisted the urge to go see the golf course cake. She had to focus! She raced down aisles in February and March, then April and May. Along the way, she noticed that not every glass case was filled with a beautiful birthday cake that looked too good to eat. Some of the cakes were small and slumped. Some had runny frosting that had dripped off the cakes, pooling at the bases of the pedestals. And some of them had no frosting or decoration at all. They sat there, bare and plain, looking stale and almost inedible.
Why? wondered Amirah. It didn’t make sense to her why some of the birthday cakes were so grand and glorious, while others were downright disgusting. I wonder if the way someone feels about their birthday can affect their cake, she thought. It seemed preposterous . . . but then again, anything was possible in the Magical Land of Birthdays.
“I’m in a June aisle!” Elvis called out. “Halfway through the year!”
“Thanks for the update!” Amirah called back—but her voice sounded a little hesitant, a little unsure. They were almost halfway through the Hall of Birthday Cakes and still had not found the Birthday Basher’s cake.
What if he doesn’t have a cake at all?
Amirah tried to push the idea from her mind as soon as it popped up, but it was a stubborn one. Even as it nagged at her, though, it also inspired her to search harder. And to search smarter.
Amirah glanced over at the nearest cake. She was still in the last week of May, but she could hear the other B-Buds had joined Elvis in combing through the June aisles.
She reached into her pocket and touched her container of sprinkles. As her fingers brushed the vial, she thought she felt it vibrate just the tiniest bit.
Amirah paused. The sprinkles were trying to tell her something. She removed the container from her pocket, unscrewed the cap, and popped a few sprinkles in her mouth.
What if I skipped June altogether? she thought as the familiar sweet taste filled her mouth. I could le
ave June to the other B-Buds and go straight to July.
Amirah knew what she had to do. She passed all the June aisles, which had an unusually large number of strawberry cakes and rose-covered cakes, and moved straight into July.
Cakes with watermelons. Cakes with cherries. Cakes with frosting fireworks and sparkler candles. She moved quickly but carefully, not wanting to miss something important. Amirah didn’t want to accidentally pass by the Birthday Basher’s cake—especially if, as she suspected, it might not seem as special as all the others.
As it turned out, Amirah knew it the moment she saw it. Even from ten feet away, she could tell it was the one.
Amirah almost wished that she could avoid the cake altogether. But that wasn’t possible, Amirah knew. She’d made a promise to her B-Buds—and to Cara—and to the Magical Land of Birthdays itself. She didn’t want to let any of them down.
So, step by step, inch by inch, Amirah crept closer.
The glass case was dark and shadowy; there were silvery cobwebs hanging from the corners. Even so, Amirah could clearly see the horrible cake that was housed inside. At first, she thought it was covered in an unappetizing gray-green frosting topped with spun sugar. But then, with a sick feeling, she realized that fuzzy tufts of mold had spread across the cake. There was a smattering of dark wormholes along the side of the cake, and she shuddered to think what she would find if she sliced into it.
“B-Buds,” she called. Then, again, a little louder. “B-Buds! I think I found it!”
She could hear their footsteps clattering through the Hall of Birthday Cakes as Mei, Elvis, Ziggy, Lacey, and Olivia hurried to join her.
“Ew!” Lacey said, wrinkling her nose. “That’s disgusting! Are you trying to tell me it’s a cake?”
“Yes,” Amirah said, nodding. “Or, at least, it used to be a cake.”
“That’s the grossest thing I’ve ever seen,” Mei said bluntly.
The rest of the B-Buds loudly agreed.
The Mystery of the Birthday Basher Page 5
