The Birthday Wish a personalised book with your child as the hero

It was Lily's birthday, and the whole house was ready for a party. Balloons bobbed in red and yellow and blue, and in the garden stood a long table with a bright tablecloth, a pile of presents wrapped in shiny paper at one end, and a party hat at every place.

Everyone came. Mom and Dad, Aunt Rosie and Uncle Tom, the cousins, and Lily's friends from down the street. They all put on pointy party hats and sat along both sides of the table. Lily sat at the very top, in the middle, where the birthday girl always sits.

Then Mom came out of the kitchen carrying the cake. It was round and tall, with pink frosting and little sugar flowers, and the candles on top were already lit. Their tiny flames wobbled and winked.

"Happy birthday to you," everybody sang, "happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Lily, happy birthday to you!"

"Make a wish," said Dad. "But don't tell anyone, or it won't come true."

Lily leaned toward the cake. She closed her eyes tight. She thought of the thing she wanted most in all the world, and she wished it very hard, inside, where nobody could hear. Then she took a big breath, puffed out her cheeks and blew.

Whoosh! Every candle went out at once, and everyone cheered and clapped.

But Lily was not looking at the guests. She was looking at the smoke. It curled up from the candles in thin grey ribbons, round and round and round, and then, right in front of her nose, it twisted itself into a tiny glowing star. The star had two bright little eyes and a smile, and it was waving at her.

Lily leaned back in her chair with her mouth wide open. Aunt Rosie was passing the napkins and the cousins were poking at the presents. Nobody else had seen it at all.

"Hello, Lily," whispered the star-sprite, in a voice like a little silver bell. "I'm the keeper of birthday wishes. Would you like to come and see where your wish has gone?"

Lily nodded, very quickly.

The sprite twirled once, and a sprinkle of starlight fell over Lily's hair. At once she began to shrink. Smaller and smaller she grew, until a teaspoon was as big as a slide. Beside the cake there was a paper napkin folded into a boat, and the sprite helped her climb inside.

Splash! Off they went across the punch bowl. The punch was pink and fizzy, and it sparkled in the sunshine. Slices of orange floated past like little islands, and a strawberry bobbed by like a buoy. The sprite sat at the front of the boat and glowed like a tiny lighthouse.

When they reached the other side, the sprite twirled again, and Lily was back to her own size, standing in the grass. In her hand was the whole bunch of party balloons.

"Hold on tight," said the sprite.

The balloons gave a gentle tug, and Lily's feet left the ground. Up she floated, past the apple tree, past the roof, higher and higher. Far below, the guests looked like little dots in pointy hats. Then the whole town spread out beneath her, with its red rooftops and the river shining like a ribbon. The sprite flew beside her, and the wind hummed softly in the strings.

They floated on until the sky turned the color of lavender, and the first evening stars came out. Then the balloons drifted gently down into a land Lily had never seen before.

It was twilight there, soft and quiet. Along the path stood trees with silver trunks and silver leaves, and from every branch hung a glowing lantern. Some were gold, some were pink, and each one shone with its own warm light.

"Every birthday wish ever wished is kept here," said the sprite. "We look after them until it is time for them to come true."

Lily walked slowly down the path, looking up and up. And then she saw it. One little lantern, high on a branch, was glowing just a little brighter than the rest. Somehow she knew at once that it was hers.

Out of the long grass came a little fox with a white tip on his tail. He laid a shiny ribbon at her feet, a ribbon that shimmered every color of the rainbow.

"For your party," he said, as Lily picked it up. "Happy birthday."

Then a flock of bluebirds fluttered down onto a lantern branch above her. They puffed out their chests and began to sing. Their song came out in glowing swirls that floated through the air, and it was a birthday song, the sweetest one Lily had ever heard. "Keep it," they sang, "and carry it home." And Lily found that she could hum every note.

Last of all came a round, furry bear cub. He stopped a step away from her and spread his arms wide.

"I have a present too," he said. "It's a hug. A big warm one, to take back with you."

As he hugged her, a warm golden glow wrapped all around Lily, as cozy as a blanket fresh from the dryer.

"Now," said the sprite, "it's time to go back. They are about to cut the cake."

The sprite twirled one last time. There was a flicker of starlight, and Lily found herself sitting in her own chair at the top of the table, with the shiny ribbon in her hand and the bluebirds' song still humming inside her.

Mom was just picking up the knife. "Who wants the first slice?" she asked.

Nobody had noticed that Lily had been gone at all. Above the cake, a tiny star twinkled once, winked at her, and faded away. Lily smiled a secret smile.

Everyone was eating cake when the doorbell rang. Ding-dong!

"Who could that be?" said Dad, with a funny little smile.

Lily jumped down and ran to the door. And there, standing in the doorway with her suitcase and her arms already open, was Grandma, who lived far, far away across the sea, and who nobody had said was coming.

"Surprise!" said Grandma.

All the guests turned around and gasped and cheered. The balloons bobbed. And Lily ran the last steps into Grandma's arms and held on tight, because that was exactly the thing she had wished for, very hard, inside, where nobody could hear.

Far away, in the land of silver trees, one little lantern glowed brighter than ever.