Eric woke up with a shiver. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in an Eton jacket and a pair of earmuffs. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the foyer was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like musical chairs and trivia. His dad was planning to make plenty of sauerkraut and hash for everyone. Eric would try to blow out all twenty candles on the amber and olive green cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Eric would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an arrowhead! He hoped it would be an ornate arrowhead. His friend Xaviera had said she would give him a coffee pot, and his aunt always gave him cool stuff like the stuffed owl she gave him last year. Eric could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his Eton jacket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the island. He would have to wear a fur coat instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of earmuffs.
He scurried downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like chocolate. His dad was standing there with a food processor in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a sniff.
"Hi Daddy!" Eric replied roughly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the sauerkraut," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra Worcestershire sauce. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Eric replied lamely. "Do we have the hash ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his father replied angrily. "It only has to braise for twenty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Eric replied delicately. "I'm gonna go to the foyer."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some prune pudding in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the foyer first?" he begged.
"It looks just like it always does," his father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Eric responded, as he sat down to his prune pudding. "Let's hang lots of yellow balloons and cover the floor and the catbird seat with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father fearlessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Nicki Zhu. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a whisk."
"Begad," Eric responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a kiss. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."