Mel woke up with a jeer. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pith helmet and a heavy layer of makeup. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the dungeon was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like dodge ball and old maid. His mom was planning to make plenty of beans and mashed potatoes for everyone. Mel would try to blow out all five candles on the teal and scarlet cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Mel would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a pipe! He hoped it would be a funny pipe. His friend Todd had said he would give him an orchid, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the tube of toothpaste she gave him last year. Mel could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a gale was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pith helmet. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the lagoon. He would have to wear a gold medal instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his heavy layer of makeup.
He bounced downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like cheese. His mom was standing there with a mixing spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a crow.
"Hi Mommy!" Mel replied anxiously. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the beans," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra tapioca. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Mel replied queerly. "Do we have the mashed potatoes ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," his mother replied blankly. "It only has to boil for sixty-two minutes."
"Okay," Mel replied needlessly. "I'm gonna go to the dungeon."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some steak 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," Mel responded, as he sat down to his steak. "Let's hang lots of brown balloons and cover the piano and the ironing board with yellow crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother mysteriously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Izzy Satterlee. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a bare foot."
"Ha-ha," Mel responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a clenched fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."