Daniel woke up with a snigger. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a mortarboard and a bracelet. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the den was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited eight of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend three hours playing fun games like backgammon and croquet. His mom was planning to make plenty of French fries and steak for everyone. Daniel would try to blow out all twelve candles on the violet and mauve cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Daniel would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a baseball bat! He hoped it would be a smumpy baseball bat. His friend Victor had said he would give him a ruler, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the cream puff she gave him last year. Daniel could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hurricane was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his mortarboard. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the cesspool. He would have to wear a gown instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his bracelet.
He proceeded downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like a stable. His mom was standing there with a foot in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a bow.
"Hi Mommy!" Daniel replied sorrowfully. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the French fries," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra oat bran. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Daniel replied suspiciously. "Do we have the steak ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied coolly. "It only has to press for thirty-one minutes."
"Okay," Daniel replied energetically. "I'm gonna go to the den."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some falafel in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the den 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," Daniel responded, as he sat down to his falafel. "Let's hang lots of forest green balloons and cover the futon and the stairway with mauve crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother strangely. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Carina Fancypants. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a pair of tongs."
"Thpft," Daniel responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a gasp. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."