Eleanor woke up with a titter. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a pair of boxer shorts and a corset. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the kitchen was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like backgammon and tag. Her mom was planning to make plenty of cookies and candy for everyone. Eleanor would try to blow out all thirteen candles on the blue and terra cotta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Eleanor would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a plaque! She hoped it would be a huge plaque. Her friend Mao had said he would give her a Kindle, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the pair of pliers she gave her last year. Eleanor could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her pair of boxer shorts. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the briar patch. She would have to wear a gold medal instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her corset.
She reeled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like trouble. Her mom was standing there with a garlic press in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a giggle.
"Hi Mommy!" Eleanor replied boldly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cookies," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra shrimp. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Eleanor replied busily. "Do we have the candy ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," her mother replied excitedly. "It only has to braise for twenty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Eleanor replied frantically. "I'm gonna go to the kitchen."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Froot Loops in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the kitchen 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," Eleanor responded, as she sat down to her Froot Loops. "Let's hang lots of turquoise balloons and cover the bookcase and the wardrobe with chocolate brown crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother blankly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Madelyn Mars. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cheesecloth."
"Voilà," Eleanor responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a stiff upper lip. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."