At a birthday dinner, Ben’s family brought out a cake with thirty candles. He counted them twice.
“I’m thirty-one,” he said.
His sister fetched another candle. The room went dark again, and everyone sang for a second time.
Ben made a wish and blew. One candle kept burning. His mother leaned in to help, but he stopped her.
“No,” he said. “This time I want to do it properly.”
His sister read the packet. “These are relighting candles.”
Ben sat back. “Excellent. I’ll stay thirty-one until next year.”