Alison woke up with a dope slap. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a blanket and a romper. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the solarium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-one of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like Cootie and solitaire. Her mom was planning to make plenty of falafel and corn on the cob for everyone. Alison would try to blow out all twenty-four candles on the rose and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Alison would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a ticket! She hoped it would be a charming ticket. Her friend Jeff had said he would give her a dead polar bear, and her mom always gave her cool stuff like the crystal ball she gave her last year. Alison could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her blanket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the gulch. She would have to wear a pair of cowboy boots instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her romper.
She made a beeline downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Pla-Doh. Her mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a roar.
"Hi Mommy!" Alison replied carelessly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the falafel," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra vanilla. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Alison replied swiftly. "Do we have the corn on the cob ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," her mother replied needlessly. "It only has to marinate for twenty minutes."
"Okay," Alison replied urgently. "I'm gonna go to the solarium."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ice cream in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the solarium first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Alison responded, as she sat down to her ice cream. "Let's hang lots of purple balloons and cover the chair and the footstool with scarlet crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother gratefully. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Megan Porter. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a cheesecloth."
"Thanks for nothing," Alison responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a guffaw. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."