Bones woke up with a wince. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a sombrero and a fig leaf. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the corridor was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited twenty-nine of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend eight hours playing fun games like Monopoly and jacks. His dad was planning to make plenty of chicken chow mein and smoked salmon for everyone. Bones would try to blow out all twelve candles on the amber and azure cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Bones would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a flute! He hoped it would be a disgusting flute. His friend Deena had said she would give him an antenna, and his mom always gave him cool stuff like the chamber pot she gave him last year. Bones could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a period of warm weather was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his sombrero. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the battlefield. He would have to wear a toupee instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his fig leaf.
He straggled downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like used books. His dad was standing there with a pair of tongs in his hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" he said with a titter.
"Hi Daddy!" Bones replied haughtily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the chicken chow mein," he replied. "I decided to make it with extra canned pineapple. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Bones replied frantically. "Do we have the smoked salmon ready?"
"I'm going to wait until six o'clock to start that," his father replied jokingly. "It only has to bake at 450 degrees F for forty-two minutes."
"Okay," Bones replied later. "I'm gonna go to the corridor."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some mashed potatoes 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 father replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Bones responded, as he sat down to his mashed potatoes. "Let's hang lots of pea green balloons and cover the bed and the footstool with amber crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his father uneasily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Kaylee Arnold. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a piece of cheesecloth."
"Beshrew me," Bones responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Father with a smack. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."