JD woke up with a woof. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a wet suit and a pair of boxer shorts. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the oubliette was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like treasure hunt and bridge. His dad was planning to make plenty of chicken gumbo and ceviche for everyone. JD would try to blow out all twenty-nine candles on the sea green and peach cake. While the guests were eating their cake, JD would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a Frisbee! He hoped it would be an archaic Frisbee. His friend Brianna had said she would give him a bilge pump, and his sister-in-law always gave him cool stuff like the Eton jacket she gave him last year. JD could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a dense fog was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his wet suit. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the plateau. He would have to wear a blanket instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his pair of boxer shorts.
He ambled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like fish. His dad was standing there with an oven mitt in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a cackle.
"Hi Daddy!" JD replied charmingly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken gumbo," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra sardines. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," JD replied miserably. "Do we have the ceviche ready?"
"I'm going to wait until four o'clock to start that," his father replied slyly. "It only has to poach lightly for seventy-seven minutes."
"Okay," JD replied warily. "I'm gonna go to the oubliette."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some pizza in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the oubliette 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," JD responded, as he sat down to his pizza. "Let's hang lots of hot pink balloons and cover the hatstand and the rug with jade crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father later. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Zoe Barberry. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a napkin."
"Ha-ha," JD responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a woof. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."