Chuck woke up with a hug. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in an award medal and a balaclava. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the corridor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited ten of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend four hours playing fun games like Candy Land and Parcheesi. His mom was planning to make plenty of cinnamon toast and tuna casserole for everyone. Chuck would try to blow out all fifteen candles on the blue and teal cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Chuck would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an acorn! He hoped it would be an odd acorn. His friend Nicholas had said he would give him a clock, and his mommy always gave him cool stuff like the crate she gave him last year. Chuck could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a sandstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his award medal. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the dump. He would have to wear a false moustache instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his balaclava.
He galumphed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like incense. His mom was standing there with an electric mixer in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a backward glance.
"Hi Mommy!" Chuck replied crazily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cinnamon toast," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra Hershey Bar. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Chuck replied hopelessly. "Do we have the tuna casserole ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied timidly. "It only has to age for thirty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Chuck replied coldly. "I'm gonna go to the corridor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some succotash in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the corridor 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," Chuck responded, as he sat down to his succotash. "Let's hang lots of sparkly balloons and cover the canopy bed and the credenza with black crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother neatly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Lakshmi Coons. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a wooden spoon."
"Doubtful," Chuck responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a pound of the chest. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."