The sun had not yet risen, but John was already awake. From the window of his room, the scent of grass flowed in—fresh, with the breath of a damp morning. Today was not an ordinary day. Today he turned thirteen. A number that had once seemed enormous to him as a child. And now... now he just wanted to play, see his friends, and—he hoped—to see Elizabeth.
He went downstairs for breakfast, and he hadn't even sat at the dining table yet when his mother and uncle entered the room, holding a small wrapped package.
"Happy birthday, Johnny dear," said his mother, kissing his forehead.
John smiled, his eyes gleaming.
"And besides this," his uncle said, extending the package, "we have another surprise. But we'll get to that later."
John opened the gift—inside gleamed a brand new pair of goalkeeper gloves. They were dark blue with silver streaks and so soft they seemed like they could hold hearts, not just balls.
"Wow… Thank you so much. It's like… like they're placed on clouds."
"We thought you were ready for them," said his mother, her eyes proud.
John raised the gloves, looked at them for a moment, and said, "With these gloves, I won't just save goals… I'll save hope."
Everything was already being prepared on the field. Elizabeth and her little friend, Marian, had spent the entire morning setting up balloons, flags, and a small party table. At the edge of the field, a hand-drawn banner was already hung:
"13 years old, but already a Legend in our Goal"
Elizabeth stood, watching as everything came together. In her hands, she held a small package, wrapped with a red ribbon. Something she had made herself. Something heartfelt.
When John arrived at the field, the first thing he noticed were the balloons. His eyes widened. The children ran toward him, cheering:
"Joohn, happy birthday!"
"Look, there's even a move named after you—'Johnny's Leap!'"
"And we have a song for you!"
Elizabeth walked up to him, smiling, sunlight sparkling in her eyes.
"Happy birthday, John," she said. "Are you ready for your birthday duel?"
"Duel?" John laughed.
"It's not every day you play a match on your birthday, with a cup named after you. We decided—you're our captain today."
John felt so proud that he thought, if a ball came flying from the sky right now, he could catch it without even jumping.
The game began. The kids split into two teams and the match started with full energy. John was already wearing his new gloves—diving, falling, standing again. Around him was laughter, shouts, excitement. And when, near the end of the game, Elizabeth approached with the ball and said:
"I'll try to score on you—let's see if your birthday has a worthy goalkeeper."
John smiled, as if this was the moment he'd been waiting for all day.
Elizabeth struck the ball hard—it flew, but John, like a cat, leaped and caught it mid-air, holding it there for a moment. The children applauded.
"Told you—no one's scored on me on my birthday yet," said John, handing the ball back to Elizabeth.
After the game, the tables were filled—with water, lemonade, little muffins, and trays of melted chocolate. John sat, his hand pressed against his shoulder, a little tired but endlessly happy.
"This was the best birthday ever," he whispered.
Elizabeth approached, holding the package in her hand.
"This is for you," she said. "I made it myself."
John opened the package. Inside was a small notebook with a leather cover, and on the first page, it read:
"The Saves of Johnny"
Inside were blank pages, ready to hold his stories. And on the last page, a small note:
"This notebook is for every save and every dream you hold. Write them down, so the world never forgets the story of the boy who saved not just goals, but hope."
John looked at Elizabeth. His eyes welled up for a moment, but he smiled.
"No one's ever seen me like this," he said.
"Seeing you isn't hard, John," said Elizabeth. "You just have to want to look."
As the day came to an end, the children were heading home, and the sun was setting again. John and Elizabeth sat near the goalpost, leaning against the same old metal frame.
"You know what?" said John, hugging the notebook. "I want to remember all of this—word for word. Because today was the day I realized that I'm not just important in the game. I matter… in life."
Elizabeth smiled, gently leaning on his shoulder.
"Today you turned a year older, but to me—you became as important as a fairy tale."
John closed his eyes for a moment. Inside—there was peace. And in his heart—he was savoring something he had always feared: happiness.
And so, John's 13th birthday came to an end. But that day wasn't just his birthday. It was the beginning of a new chapter in his life—filled with new hope, strength, and the melodies of the heart that only true love and understanding can awaken.