Hamlet woke up with a stiff upper lip. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a pair of sandals 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 twenty-four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like Parcheesi and Mother May I. His mom was planning to make plenty of chicken pot pie and cabbage for everyone. Hamlet would try to blow out all three candles on the polka dotted and terra cotta cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Hamlet would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a notebook! He hoped it would be a used notebook. His friend Salvatore had said he would give him a diamond, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the joint she gave him last year. Hamlet could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his pair of sandals. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the moonscape. He would have to wear a maxi skirt instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of earmuffs.
He slithered downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like rain. His mom was standing there with a potato masher in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a tear.
"Hi Mommy!" Hamlet replied impatiently. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken pot pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra chopped celery. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Hamlet replied ruefully. "Do we have the cabbage ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," his mother replied resignedly. "It only has to braise for twenty-six minutes."
"Okay," Hamlet replied sagely. "I'm gonna go to the foyer."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Froot Loops 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 mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Hamlet responded, as he sat down to his Froot Loops. "Let's hang lots of crimson balloons and cover the safe and the counter with pink crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother arrogantly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Elvira Chesney. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a blender."
"Aaack," Hamlet responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a shiver. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."