Robert woke up with a growl. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of dungarees and a balaclava. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the cage was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like ring around the rosie and jump rope. His mom was planning to make plenty of pumpkin pie and roast turkey for everyone. Robert would try to blow out all thirty candles on the lavender and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Robert would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a kite! He hoped it would be a gruesome kite. His friend Sean had said he would give him a Kindle, and his fiancée always gave him cool stuff like the hip flask she gave him last year. Robert could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a driving rain was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of dungarees. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the prairie. He would have to wear a pair of roller skates instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his balaclava.
He hopped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like plastic. His mom was standing there with an ice pick in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a face palm.
"Hi Mommy!" Robert replied again. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pumpkin pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra mincemeat. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Robert replied mysteriously. "Do we have the roast turkey ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eleven o'clock to start that," his mother replied humbly. "It only has to roast for forty minutes."
"Okay," Robert replied slowly. "I'm gonna go to the cage."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some biscuits and gravy in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the cage first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Robert responded, as he sat down to his biscuits and gravy. "Let's hang lots of metallic red balloons and cover the bench and the billiard table with polka dotted crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother uneasily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Priscilla Collier. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has an electric paint mixer."
"Ten-four," Robert 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."