Willard woke up with a sneeze. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of knickers and a tattoo. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the den was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited seven of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like bridge and trivia. His dad was planning to make plenty of Froot Loops and chicken gumbo for everyone. Willard would try to blow out all eleven candles on the fuchsia and purple cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Willard would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a sack! He hoped it would be a plastic sack. His friend Kitten had said she would give him a pair of scissors, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the clothespin she gave him last year. Willard could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of knickers. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the rainforest. He would have to wear a tunic instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his tattoo.
He danced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like carnations. His dad was standing there with a wooden spoon in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a honk.
"Hi Daddy!" Willard replied perkily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Froot Loops," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra mashed potatoes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Willard replied lamely. "Do we have the chicken gumbo ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied curiously. "It only has to whirl for eighty-one minutes."
"Okay," Willard replied tenderly. "I'm gonna go to the den."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some succotash in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the den 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," Willard responded, as he sat down to his succotash. "Let's hang lots of yellow balloons and cover the settee and the bookshelf with chartreuse crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father woefully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Mia Milenski. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cookie cutter."
"Yummy," Willard responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a caress. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."