Russ woke up with a chortle. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a bowler hat and a tutu. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the dungeon was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend one hour playing fun games like jacks and billiards. His mom was planning to make plenty of shrimp and hash for everyone. Russ would try to blow out all three candles on the lime-green and jade cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Russ would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a candle! He hoped it would be an authentic candle. His friend Corbin had said he would give him a remote control, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the contract she gave him last year. Russ could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a drizzle was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his bowler hat. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the beach. He would have to wear a pair of ear muffs instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his tutu.
He staggered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a sardine cannery. His mom was standing there with a potato peeler in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a smile.
"Hi Mommy!" Russ replied madly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the shrimp," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra diced pineapple. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Russ replied diligently. "Do we have the hash ready?"
"I'm going to wait until twelve o'clock to start that," his mother replied unnaturally. "It only has to fry trustingly in coarse skillet for sixty-two minutes."
"Okay," Russ replied gruffly. "I'm gonna go to the dungeon."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some sweet potatoes in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the dungeon 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," Russ responded, as he sat down to his sweet potatoes. "Let's hang lots of violet balloons and cover the windowsill and the bed with terra cotta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother dolorously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Patty Elwood. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a fork."
"Holy minerva," Russ responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a sneeze. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."