short stories

Birthday Surprise

 Budi is a man who is always busy with work and never has time to celebrate his birthday festively. Every year, his birthday is always spent in the office, staring at the computer screen while typing reports. However, this year, his office mates decided to give him an unforgettable surprise.

It all started when Andi, Budi's famously ignorant colleague, had an idea to play a prank on Budi. "What if we make Budi believe that today is not his birthday?" Andi suggested with a chuckle. Everyone in the office agreed, and the plan began.

That morning, when Budi walked into the office, everyone behaved as usual. No one wished him a happy birthday, no one brought a cake, no one even mentioned the date. Budi felt something was strange, but he thought maybe they had all forgotten.

Lunchtime came, and Andi approached Budi with a serious face. "Hey, Bud, you know what? I just remembered, today isn't actually your birthday. Your birthday is next week, right?"

Budi was stunned. "Huh? Isn't today the 12th of August?" he asked while looking at the calendar on the table. But what was his surprise when he saw that the date on the calendar had been changed to 5 August! "Did I remember wrong?"

Everyone in the office pretends not to know anything, even they show the same date on their mobile phones. Budi began to doubt and thought maybe he had remembered wrongly.

As the working hours were almost over, Budi felt a little disappointed. "Maybe it's true, my birthday is next week," he muttered. He decided to go home early.

However, when Budi arrived at the office exit, suddenly the lights went out and the atmosphere became pitch black. "What is this?" Budi thought in panic.

Suddenly, the lights came back on, and all of Budi's colleagues emerged from behind their desks, shouting, "Happy birthday, Budi!" They brought a big cake, balloons, and funny birthday hats. Budi, who was still confused, could only laugh out loud.

"So, the date on the calendar is...?" asked Budi with a laugh.

"That's just part of our plan!" replied Andi, patting Budi on the shoulder. "We just wanted to see how confused you were. Turns out, it worked!"

Budi couldn't help but laugh. "You guys are crazy friends! Thank you for this hilarious surprise!"

That night, the office was filled with laughter, jokes, and a joyful atmosphere. Budi went home with a big smile, realising that despite their nosiness, his office mates really cared about him.