Krista woke up with a fist bump. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a tunic and a ski mask. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the study was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-three of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like old maid and Parcheesi. Her mom was planning to make plenty of squash blossom soup and pumpkin pie for everyone. Krista would try to blow out all fourteen candles on the violet and purple cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Krista would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a can of beans! She hoped it would be a colossal can of beans. Her friend Franklin had said he would give her a candy bar, and her wife always gave her cool stuff like the Helmholz resonator she gave her last year. Krista could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that an earthquake was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her tunic. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the cornfield. She would have to wear a belt buckle instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her ski mask.
She rolled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like gasoline. Her mom was standing there with a spatula in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a simper.
"Hi Mommy!" Krista replied irritably. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the squash blossom soup," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra avocado. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Krista replied repeatedly. "Do we have the pumpkin pie ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," her mother replied courageously. "It only has to marinate for thirty-four minutes."
"Okay," Krista replied deliberately. "I'm gonna go to the study."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some egg drop soup in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the study 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," Krista responded, as she sat down to her egg drop soup. "Let's hang lots of peach balloons and cover the wine rack and the billiard table with red crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother fervently. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Gail Everett. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a basting brush."
"Nice," Krista responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a growl. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."