Larry woke up with a roar. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of flip-flops and a ponytail. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the game room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like duck duck goose and billiards. His dad was planning to make plenty of hash and cherries jubilee for everyone. Larry would try to blow out all thirty candles on the hot pink and green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Larry would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a sling! He hoped it would be a primitive sling. His friend Meghan had said she would give him a doily, and his friend always gave him cool stuff like the rock she gave him last year. Larry could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dense fog was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of flip-flops. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the prairie. He would have to wear a pair of shorts instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his ponytail.
He swaggered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like moldy leftovers. His dad was standing there with a piece of cheesecloth in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a smack.
"Hi Daddy!" Larry replied positively. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the hash," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra grated sharp cheddar cheese. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Larry replied blissfully. "Do we have the cherries jubilee ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his father replied wearily. "It only has to microwave for seventy-nine minutes."
"Okay," Larry replied brashly. "I'm gonna go to the game room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some tortillas in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the game room first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Larry responded, as he sat down to his tortillas. "Let's hang lots of carrot-orange balloons and cover the computer and the overstuffed chair with grey crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father narrowly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Isabel Byers. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a sharp knife."
"Yowie," Larry responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a sniff. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."