Darlene woke up with a laugh. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a camisole and a hoodie. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the dungeon was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited five of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like blackjack and blackjack. Her mom was planning to make plenty of Froot Loops and bonbons for everyone. Darlene would try to blow out all twenty candles on the lavender and brown cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Darlene would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a hockey puck! She hoped it would be an excellent hockey puck. Her friend Newt had said he would give her a can of beer, and her main squeeze always gave her cool stuff like the cell phone she gave her last year. Darlene could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a blizzard was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her camisole. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the briar patch. She would have to wear a tie instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her hoodie.
She dashed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like chocolate cake. Her mom was standing there with a wooden spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a hiccup.
"Hi Mommy!" Darlene replied bitterly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the Froot Loops," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra seedless grapes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Darlene replied majestically. "Do we have the bonbons ready?"
"I'm going to wait until ten o'clock to start that," her mother replied dolorously. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for eighty-six minutes."
"Okay," Darlene replied trustingly. "I'm gonna go to the dungeon."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some fish and chips in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the dungeon 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," Darlene responded, as she sat down to her fish and chips. "Let's hang lots of forest green balloons and cover the futon and the catbird seat with terra cotta crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother coldly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Audrey Wyse. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a napkin."
"Fine," Darlene responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a sniff. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."