Upton woke up with a guffaw. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a diaper and a jumper. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the oubliette was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like dodge ball and dominos. His mom was planning to make plenty of hors d'oeuvre and Swiss cheese for everyone. Upton would try to blow out all twelve candles on the golden and silver cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Upton would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a coconut! He hoped it would be a sophisticated coconut. His friend Luke had said he would give him a candy cane, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the bouquet she gave him last year. Upton could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a typhoon was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his diaper. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the lakeside. He would have to wear a headscarf instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his jumper.
He pranced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like toothpaste. His mom was standing there with a pair of chopsticks in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a curtsey.
"Hi Mommy!" Upton replied diligently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the hors d'oeuvre," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra mustard seed. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Upton replied fiercely. "Do we have the Swiss cheese ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his mother replied recklessly. "It only has to sear outside for twenty-five minutes."
"Okay," Upton replied zestily. "I'm gonna go to the oubliette."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some chicken soup in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the oubliette 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," Upton responded, as he sat down to his chicken soup. "Let's hang lots of carrot-orange balloons and cover the dishwasher and the filing cabinet with crimson crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother carefully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Bethany Katz. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a grater."
"Like, totally," Upton responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a cheer. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."