Gilbert woke up with a shout. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of handcuffs and a fedora. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the oubliette was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-five of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like hopscotch and doctor. His mom was planning to make plenty of lamb curry and enchiladas for everyone. Gilbert would try to blow out all seventeen candles on the burgundy and peach cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Gilbert would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a flag! He hoped it would be a mysterious flag. His friend Steve had said he would give him a basket, and his mother always gave him cool stuff like the paper towel she gave him last year. Gilbert 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 pair of handcuffs. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the crime scene. He would have to wear a pair of contact lenses instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his fedora.
He sauntered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like baby powder. His mom was standing there with a melon baller in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a smile.
"Hi Mommy!" Gilbert replied slyly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the lamb curry," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra green bell peppers. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Gilbert replied hopelessly. "Do we have the enchiladas ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied slowly. "It only has to slow cook for two minutes."
"Okay," Gilbert replied frantically. "I'm gonna go to the oubliette."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some beans 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," Gilbert responded, as he sat down to his beans. "Let's hang lots of navy blue balloons and cover the fainting couch and the dining table with terra cotta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother calmly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Julia Fontanaro. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a basting brush."
"Rooster feathers," Gilbert responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a backward glance. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."