Lynn woke up with a hoot. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a wet suit and a coat. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the library was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eighteen of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like shuffleboard and old maid. Her mom was planning to make plenty of lobster and cinnamon toast for everyone. Lynn would try to blow out all seven candles on the golden and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Lynn would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a coat hanger! She hoped it would be a wooden coat hanger. Her friend Phillip had said he would give her a teapot, and her fiancée always gave her cool stuff like the cowbell she gave her last year. Lynn could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a typhoon was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her wet suit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the prairie. She would have to wear a wristwatch instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her coat.
She skittered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a barn. Her mom was standing there with a dull knife in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a sneer.
"Hi Mommy!" Lynn replied resignedly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lobster," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra tarragon. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Lynn replied resignedly. "Do we have the cinnamon toast ready?"
"I'm going to wait until nine o'clock to start that," her mother replied shakily. "It only has to broil for forty-five minutes."
"Okay," Lynn replied irritably. "I'm gonna go to the library."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cotton candy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the library first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Lynn responded, as she sat down to her cotton candy. "Let's hang lots of brown balloons and cover the settee and the card table with salmon crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother offhandedly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Andrea Chesney. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cookie cutter."
"I've had it," Lynn responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a grimace. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."