Miranda’s sister, Kim, is the family prankster, renowned for going too far. Kim surprises Miranda’s twins with gifts on their sixth birthday. Are these another hoax or birthday presents?

Murphy’s Law always comes into play during my son’s birthday party. So, when the twin’s birthday celebration came around, I wasn’t surprised to see the storm clouds gathering.

My husband, Antonio, and I have six-year-old twins, Colin and Daniel. Antonio transformed our basement into a pirate-themed dungeon, and they usually only had dreams for their birthdays this year.

We had been planning the twins’ birthdays for a long time, so we anticipated everything to go smoothly on the big day — tantrums were the only unexpected surprises.

We were well into the birthday festivities and almost ready to cut the cake when the doorbell rang, and there she stood—my sister, Kim, uninvited and unwelcome.

It’s not that I didn’t want her there. Our relationship has always been strained. She had a talent for pulling unsettling pranks when she was a toddler. Her actions regularly caused discomfort and displeasure among family and relatives.

For example, Kim left slime at my wedding, so as I walked down the aisle clutching the bouquet, thick green slime trailed down my bridal dress.

As a result, her arrival at our celebration was welcomed with surprise and disappointment.

Ignoring the apprehensive looks Antonio and I exchanged when she arrived, my sister presented the boys with enormous, appealing boxes, all elegantly wrapped.

The twins’ eyes expanded, anxious to discover the surprises buried beneath the colorful wrapping paper.

“Wow! Mom! “Look at these, Dad!” Daniel exclaimed, his small hands tearing through the wrapping paper.

“Can I open mine?” Colin, who was always nice, spoke up.

Antonio instructed the boys to go ahead.

“Quickly, boys,” I said. “Your friends are waiting in the basement!”

As the gifts were opened with a quick “thank you,” the youngsters’ genuine excitement beamed.

I believed I was mistaken. Maybe Kim showed up for them this time because she wanted to celebrate them. So I brought her inside and spoke cordially, expecting that nothing unnecessary would occur.

The happy sounds of receiving presents quickly gave way to frustrated exclamations and mournful shrieks.

“What’s wrong, my loves?” I asked. I knelt beside them, hoping to comprehend.

“These boxes are empty, Mom!” Daniel sniffled and shoved it my way.

“There’s nothing inside, Aunty Kim. Did you forget to put our gifts inside?” Colin’s eyes were full of disappointment.

Confused, I examined the so-called gifts. Instead of the expected toys or games, they contained just empty boxes that had previously held toy vehicles, with the remotes still attached to the plastic.

Of course. Of fact, it was just another of her callous pranks.

“Kim, what is this?” I turned to her, frustration pouring through my voice.

She broke out laughing, cold and shameless.

“Oh, come on! It’s just a harmless joke, Miranda. Lighten up a bit.”

My boys were heartbroken, pronouncing it their worst birthday.

“Come on,” Antonio murmured, ushering them back to the basement, where their buddies were having a great time.

I couldn’t stop myself from acting out of fury. I hurried my sister out the door and demanded that she go.

“Just go, Kim,” I replied. “You ruin everything with those dumb pranks.”

Unaware of the consequences of her conduct, she laughed her way to her vehicle. Kim dodged puddles as the rain fell heavily.

I paused at the front door, eager to attend the birthday party, but I needed the gratification of seeing her drive away.

Kim was ready to get into her car when a car rushed by, drenching her from head to toe in raindrops. She remained still, stunned, and drenched, her laughing cut short by this unexpected twist of fate.

I closed the door with a controlled smirk and returned to the party; it was almost time to prepare the burgers for the kids’ meal.

But at the time, it felt like karma had finally pulled a prank on my sister. I nearly felt sorry for her having to drive in wet clothes, but the expressions on my children’s faces convinced me to ignore her.

“It’s almost burger time,” I said, entering the basement.

“It’s time for the real party now,” Antonio announced.

I drew my guys into a deep hug and kissed their heads.

“Forget about Aunt Kim’s silly joke, okay? It was her being silly, and that’s okay. It was nothing to punish you. Come on! Let’s party!”

As bedtime neared and Antonio and I put the boys to bed, I was relieved that they hadn’t taken it too seriously.

My phone rang as I was getting into bed, and there was a message on it. Only one word stood out on the screen.

Sorry.

I couldn’t help smiling. This could be the beginning of Kim’s awareness, a little step towards change.

I hope she takes this to heart, and Kim can rejoin the family. But for now, I’ll keep my children away from her.