Eloise woke up with a curtsey. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in an armband and a pair of sandals. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the pantry was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-seven of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend six hours playing fun games like dodge ball and cribbage. Her dad was planning to make plenty of cabbage and lime sherbet for everyone. Eloise would try to blow out all sixteen candles on the mauve and metallic red cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Eloise would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain an African violet! She hoped it would be a smumpy African violet. Her friend Cassie had said she would give her a mop, and her wife always gave her cool stuff like the toothbrush she gave her last year. Eloise could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a snowstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her armband. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the ridge. She would have to wear a set of vampire fangs instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her pair of sandals.
She crept downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like ammonia. Her dad was standing there with an oven mitt in his hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" he said with a flinch.
"Hi Daddy!" Eloise replied peevishly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the cabbage," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra sweet potatoes. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Eloise replied trustingly. "Do we have the lime sherbet ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," her father replied gruffly. "It only has to simmer for seventy-seven minutes."
"Okay," Eloise replied carelessly. "I'm gonna go to the pantry."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some cherries jubilee in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the pantry first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Eloise responded, as she sat down to her cherries jubilee. "Let's hang lots of brilliant orange balloons and cover the coffee table and the pool table with orange crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her father energetically. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Jeanette Griggs. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a spoon."
"That's crazy talk," Eloise responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a backward glance. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."