Flash woke up with a wag of the finger. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bracelet and a wristwatch. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boiler room was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eleven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like cribbage and poker. His dad was planning to make plenty of hash and macaroni and cheese for everyone. Flash would try to blow out all three candles on the brown and lavender cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Flash would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Kindle! He hoped it would be a hollow Kindle. His friend Huong had said she would give him a stone, and his dad always gave him cool stuff like the chamber pot she gave him last year. Flash could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blizzard was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bracelet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the treetop. He would have to wear a gown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his wristwatch.
He made a beeline downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a candle shop. His dad was standing there with a melon baller in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a finger gun.
"Hi Daddy!" Flash replied shyly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the hash," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra red wine. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Flash replied steadily. "Do we have the macaroni and cheese ready?"
"I'm going to wait until five o'clock to start that," his father replied jokingly. "It only has to marinate for eighty-seven minutes."
"Okay," Flash replied languidly. "I'm gonna go to the boiler room."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some sauerkraut in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the boiler 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," Flash responded, as he sat down to his sauerkraut. "Let's hang lots of azure balloons and cover the cupboard and the pool table with black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father glibly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kelley Shakewell. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an egg cutter."
"Aaaw," Flash responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a pound of the chest. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."