THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

It was the 15th of January, 1999. Anna was at home. She was extremely sad because everybody forgot about her birthday. Suddenly, just before six o'clock the telephone rang. It was her friend Mary. She told Anna that she needed some help with maths. Mary wanted her to come. Anna really didn't want to go out because it was a terribly frosty night. It was the coldest night of January. Finally, she agreed to go. She took a car. In a halfway Anna's car stopped. It appeared that the car ran out of petrol. She was surprised and angry at the same time. The day before the tank had been almost full. Anna got off her car. She was alone in the forest. She decided to go to Mary because she had promised to help her. Anna wanted to be on time. When she was walking to Mary's house, Mary was organizing the birthday party for her. She gave some mates a ring. After some time they all were at Mary's. They brought with them a lot of presents. They also had a big colourful gateau. Mary decorated her room quickly. Then they were waiting for Anna. After half an hour they heard a door bell. They switched off the light and hid themselves behind the sofa and the armchairs. They were terribly excited. Anna opened the door and came in. There was no one inside. She thought that Mary played a joke on her. Suddenly, the lights went on and a chorus of happy voices yelled: "Surprise".