Cathton's Birthday Wish

     But there was one thing that he didn’t have, which many less fortunate children had.

     When the sun brought with it a new day, it did not blind Cathton as it so often did late risers. A venerable oak’s branches spread over the blue Cybunny’s bedroom window and caught the morning light in its leaves, and much of the light that managed to escape was obscured by several vines that crawled over the glass pane.

     Cathton was already used to waking up like this. He sat up in his bed, just in time for his mother to enter the room with a bundle of books in her hands and a smile on her face. The royal Cybunny carefully stepped over a King Terask Plushie that had been left lying amidst in front of a model of Faerie Palace built with interlocking blocks.

     “Happy birthday, Cathton!” said Elesia brightly while he slid his feet into his silk slippers. “I’m sorry I didn’t wrap our present anymore, but you are ten today, surely you’re too old for unwrapping gifts.” She proffered the books, and her son’s eyes widened when he saw what they were.

     “A Collection of Shenkuu Novels,” he read out loud as he took the volumes, looking them over one by one. “But Mother, I thought you said these books were very hard to find…”

     Elesia sat down beside Cathton on his bed and shook her head. “Hard to find, my dear. But not impossible for me and your father. We’re Wincotts, remember?”

     “Yeah, but…” The young Cybunny placed the books on his bedside table as though they were made of delicate glass.

     “You don’t like them?”

     Cathton opened and closed his mouth before answering, “No, it’s nothing. Thank you, Mother.” He opened his arms and embraced her, and she ran her hand through his ears. “I…I can’t wait to read them.”

     “Good. I’m glad.” Elesia gently pried herself away from him and stood up again. “Get dressed and come down for breakfast, Cathton. Put on that new shirt we got for you last week, okay?”

     The royal Cybunny seemed to glide gracefully across his room and out, leaving Cathton to stand on the carpet by his bed, staring after her. He glanced at A Collection of Shenkuu Novels on his bedside table before sighing and trudging toward his closet.

     I like them, he thought, but they weren’t what I wanted.

     * * *

     Cathton’s birthday breakfast, as expected, was a lavish buffet with all his favourites. But it was a buffet made only for three – himself, and his parents.

     It may as well have been for two because after the birthday wishes and the comments about him growing up and getting taller and eventually taking control of the Wincott fortune, Elesia and Lotham immediately fell back to discussing business instead of their son’s special day.

     “The new shipment arrived just yesterday from Krawk Island,” the male royal Usul was saying as he spread jam and butter onto a hot muffin. “Perfect timing. I can’t wait to see the look on Count Odrann’s face.”

     Elesia waved her table napkin dismissively. “That slippery Techo has been waiting to get his grubby fingers on real dubloon metal.”

     “Then he better name a fair price for it.”

     “Of course. Shipping and handling charges, customs and taxes, and of course…our Krawk Island connections.”

     “Um…” Cathton cleared his throat and put down his fork. “Father? Mother?”

     “What is it, son?” Lotham asked. “Is there anything else you wanted for your birthday? Those novels were very hard to find, but if you wanted one present each from me and your mother, you need only ask.”

     The blue Cybunny shook his head abruptly. “No, it’s not that. Well, it’s kind of like that, except not really, since you don’t have to buy – “

     “You know you can ask us for just about anything,” said Elesia.

     Cathton bit his lip and whispered something.

     “Don’t mumble, Cathton. It’s unbecoming for a Wincott,” said Lotham.

     The words tumbled out before Cathton could control himself.

     “I want to go outside.”

     * * *

     Cathton was two years old going on three when he first learned that there was an entire world outside his family’s manor. He pressed his face against the glass pane of the living room window, gazing out at the courtyard with its enormous ornamental pond, winding cobblestone walkways, and immaculately trimmed hedges.

     Then he looked up at his father and tugged at his sleeve. But Lotham frowned and shook his head.

     “No, little one. You can’t go outside.”

     “Why not?” Cathton asked.

     The Usul picked him up and carried him away from the window. “Because you could get hurt. There are many strangers out there. Terrible, dangerous strangers.”

     * * *

     “You want to go outside?” Elesia repeated.

     “I’ve never been outside,” said Cathton. “And I know you say it’s dangerous, there are many bad strangers out there…but in the books I read, even though things are bad, there are so many things that are good. Meeting new friends, finding petpets, feeling the sun on your face…” He clasped his hands as he looked from one parent to the other. “Please, I’m already ten. Just let me go outside, in our garden.”

     The royal Cybunny and the royal Usul stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Lotham sighed, sipping his coffee.

     “What is your full name?”

     “Cathton Forsythe Wincott.”

     “And one day, you will become Lord Cathton Forsythe Wincott, correct?”

     “Yes, Father.”

     “What does that mean?”

     The blue Cybunny furrowed his brow, wondering where this discussion was going. “It…means I’m your heir?”

     “Correct,” said Lotham. “You’re our heir. The heir to the Wincott name and fortune. One day, everything your mother and I have will be yours.”

     “But many despicable Neopians want what we have,” Elesia added. “They want to take all our hard work away from us. And they could use you.”

     “Everyone out there wants to be rich, and they will do whatever it takes – including taking you away from us or whispering lies into your ears.” Lotham leaned forward. “Many of the books you read are fiction. Which means they aren’t true.”

     “The real Neopia is harsh, unforgiving, and dangerous.” Elesia reached out to cup Cathton’s cheek in hers. “We just want to keep you safe. As long as you listen to us, you’ll be safe.”

     “Nobody knows that the Wincotts have an heir,” said Lotham. “And they won’t know, until you are ready. You aren’t ready. Not yet.”

     Cathton gazed down at what was left of his breakfast.

     “Then…when will I be ready?”

     “When we say you are,” the Usul replied with a tone of finality that left no room for argument. “You still have a lot to learn about managing the family fortune and business, and I intend to teach you even more today.”

     The blue Cybunny opened his mouth but closed it in resignation before focusing on his half-eaten waffle.

     But it’s my birthday, he thought. Unfortunately, being a Wincott meant taking accounting lessons even on his birthday.

     * * *

     ”It’s time for lunch, Cathton.”

     Elesia looked around at her son’s room and found him sprawled on the carpet, surrounded by many open books, maps, and atlases. Cathton had been in the process of writing something down in a large notepad – the one he had asked for on his sixth birthday.

     “What’s all this?”

     Cathton sat up and gestured to an open map of Meridell. Several locations were encircled or ticked off with chalk. “I was reading about Meridell. Where we live. There are so many stories about it, like the ones about Cavall, the great hero – he’s a Cybunny, like us. And he’s always having great adventures, like the time he joined the Order of the Crokabek…”

     The royal Cybunny nodded absently as she sat down on his neatly covered bed. “Yes, yes, I know about those stories. But what were you writing?”

     Taking a deep breath, Cathton stood up, clutching his notepad. “Mother, I know you and Father just want to protect me. And I know not all these stories are real.” He pointed with his notepad at the map of Meridell. “But maps and encyclopedias talk about what’s real. Like being able to kiss Mortogs…”

     Elesia recoiled. “Those petpets can leave a mess when they explode.”

     “And rolling cheese…”

     “So many of those cheeses are disgusting.”

     “And telling King Skarl jokes…”

     “I don’t think that fat slob of a king would even know what a joke is.” Elesia shook her head with disdain. “See? So much of Meridell is messy and smelly, just like its king. He gives us such a hard time.”

     “How?” Cathton asked, his eyes widening.

     “All those taxes, all those fees on our business…and then asking us to give him our hard-earned money for festivals and wars. Hmph, what a difficult king.” Elesia cleared her throat. “So, Cathton, what’s your point?”

     The blue Cybunny spread his arms. “Maybe there are parts of Neopia – or even Meridell – that are dangerous or scary or just dirty. But there’s so much that’s fun or even safe to do, like playing Shapeshifter with Sinsi or visiting Illusen. So I don’t know why I can’t go out like other kids.”

     “You are nothing like those other kids,” said Elesia smoothly. “You are heir to the Wincott fortune, a young lord. You have no business traipsing about outside when you could be learning everything you need to be successful.”

     “Other Wincotts get to see the world, like you, and Father, and even Aunt Yvi, who tells me all about teaching at Meridell High Academy.”

     “Only because we know the world well. Yvi, that old Koi, is a teacher. She doesn’t know what it’s like to be in our shoes.”

     “Mother, please. You won’t even let me go out into our garden. I want to go, just once. And I’ll never ask again.”

     She stood up, smoothing out her skirts, and strode toward Cathton’s bedroom door. “Then ask your father.”

     But Cathton knew what she really meant, which was, “ask your father, and I’m sure he’ll agree with me that it’s bad for you to go outside.”

     * * *

     “What’s wrong, Cathton?” Elesia asked as she passed a large bowl of vegetable salad to Lotham. “You barely touched your lunch. Are you feeling well?”

     Cathton stared at his plate full of vegetables, stew and bread, his mouth set in a thin line. But he picked up his fork and knife and began cutting a slice of meat.

     “If you didn’t understand income tax, I can always explain it again,” Lotham offered.

     “No, i-it’s not that,” said Cathton as he placed the slice of meat into a lettuce leaf before spearing it with his fork and chewing thoughtfully. After swallowing, he steeled himself and sat up straight – never mind that it did nothing for his diminutive height. “Mother, Father, you two get to see the world. You get to go out, but you won’t even let me come with you. I mean, if you’re so worried about something happening to me, why not just stay with me when I’m outside?”

     At first, the royal Usul was silent, his spoon halfway to his mouth. He put it down abruptly.

     “Your mother and I have worked hard to provide you with everything, so you wouldn’t need to go out,” said Lotham steadily. “We’ve sworn doctors, tutors, and our servants to secrecy so no one else knows about you. And we built our home with you in mind.”

     “Are you bored? Is that it?” Elesia frowned. It was a slight frown, but Cathton knew it was only a matter of time before it deepened. “Is there a toy or a game you still don’t have?”

     “It’s not about toys or games!” Cathton snapped. He gasped when he realized that he had raised his voice and sank lower into his seat. Nevertheless, he kept talking. “I want to see the world for myself. I want to know what it’s like to play outside, to feel the sun on my face, and…and there are things that I can’t just read about in books. I know I’m a Wincott, but I’m ten, and I won’t be taking over the family business for a long time anyway!”

     Though he had tried to tone down his words, they echoed in the dining hall. The blue Cybunny trembled and shut his eyes; his parents weren’t reacting, but he knew they would not react well.

     He was right.

     “So, is this how you repay us for years of keeping you safe?” asked Lotham, standing up from his chair and looming over his son. “The outside world is full of wars, plagues, monsters, criminals, thieves…and you would choose it over all of this?” He swept one hand in a wide arc.

     “You can’t survive out there in the world by yourself,” Elesia added, her brow furrowing as she folded her arms across her chest. “You’re only ten, and you still have a lot to learn.”

     “Maybe…” A small voice screamed at Cathton to stop pushing his luck, but he didn’t listen to it. “Maybe everything else I want to learn I have to learn by going outside.”

     “Of course not!” The royal Cybunny shook her head. “You can learn everything you need right here. We’ll even ask Aunt Yvi to come back if you’d rather have her teach you than me or your father.” She groaned softly, looking offended. “After how we’ve done our best to teach you…we never raised you to be ungrateful, Cathton.”

     “Wh-what?”

     Lotham banged his fist on the table. “Yes, that’s what you are – an ungrateful, reckless brat! We never withheld anything from you for ten years! Everything you wanted, everything you needed…”

     Cathton clenched his fists underneath the table. “Not everything.”

     “Don’t you talk back, Cathton!” roared Lotham. “You’re grounded for the rest of the day! I don’t care if it’s your birthday, you’ll spend the rest of it thinking about what you’ve done!”

     The blue Cybunny glanced at his mother as though hoping she would have some sympathy, but all she had for him was a disappointed glare.

     As a lump rose in his throat and he trembled again, Cathton stood up from the table, stifling a sob as he ran from the dining hall and up the stairs to his room.

     * * *

     When Cathton looked up, night had fallen. The last thing he remembered was sitting in front of his window, trying to watch the sunset from behind the foliage that hid him away from the rest of the world. He sniffed, feeling the tracks tears had left on his face, and wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. The clock on his wall told him that it was half past eleven, and though he felt groggy, a part of him didn’t want to go to bed just yet.

     Not until I get my real birthday wish.

     He set his jaw in determination and tore himself away from his window, striding purposefully toward his door and picking up the nearest plushie off the floor along the way. As quietly as he could, he peered outside his bedroom before slipping out into the corridor and shutting his door behind him. It was dark, but his eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, and ten years of living in the maze that was the Wincott manor helped him find the oak double doors that led outside.

     The doors were always securely locked, but Cathton knew how to unlock them, and in seconds he took his first steps outdoors.

     He breathed in the cool night air and felt the breeze caress his fur and ears, rippling through the frills on his shirt. When he looked up, the stars were out in their splendour, as though welcoming him to their banquet. The surface of the ornamental pond gleamed under the starlight, and the hedges that protected the manor cast foreboding shadows all across the grass and the cobblestone pathways. Cathton leaned forward, wanting to sit by the pond, or perhaps stroll through the hedges, or lie on the grass to gaze at the stars, but he feared that one of his parents might suddenly wake up in the middle of the night and think to check on him.

     So Cathton merely stood there, a mere yard or so outside the manor, a White Blumaroo Plushie cradled in his arms as he took in the outdoors – the immediate outdoors, no doubt, but he knew one day he would see more of it.

     All he had wanted for his birthday was to finally go outside. After ten birthdays, his wish came true at last.

     The End.