Getting Back The Sparkle Of Birthdays

(I work at a bed and breakfast. This bed and breakfast has a 24-hour menu available to guests that includes soups, sandwiches, and desserts.)

Guy: “Would it be possible to get a slice of cheesecake and some matches for a candle? It’s my girlfriend’s birthday and we want to celebrate.”

Me: “Sure, give me a few minutes and I’ll have it right out for you.”

(As it is currently later in the evening, the kitchen staff has gone home, so I prepare the cheesecake for them and then grab a pack of matches we have available.)

Me: “Here you are. Happy birthday and I hope you enjoy.”

(The guests proceed to go upstairs and I go about my routine as usual. A short while later they return; he has his arm wrapped in the bottom of his shirt.)

Girlfriend: “We had a bit of an incident and my boyfriend burned his arm. Can you give us directions to the hospital?”

(I can see the burn does look pretty bad, so I grab one of our island map printouts and use a highlighter to draw how to get there. As they are leaving, he stops to say something.)

Guy: “There is a little bit of smoke in the room. Wanted to be sure you knew about it.”

Boss: *after they leave* “We’d better go see what happened up there.”

(We took the elevator up to the floor they were staying on and as soon as we got off we saw smoke in the hall. My boss and I went into the room and we could barely see because of all the smoke. It turns out they had decided that it would be a good idea to use a sparkler for the candle in the small room and it caught the duvet on fire. I had to go grab some fans from our storage across the street and while I was doing that, the smoke tripped the fire alarm, waking everyone up. I learned later that the guest had gotten fourth-degree burns.)