Sebastian woke up with a wag of the finger. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a set of camo fatigues and a beard. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the boudoir was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited thirty of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend five hours playing fun games like chess and follow the leader. His mom was planning to make plenty of applesauce and Froot Loops for everyone. Sebastian would try to blow out all ten candles on the carrot-orange and maroon cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Sebastian would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a blanket! He hoped it would be a rigid blanket. His friend Nickolas had said he would give him a coat hanger, and his cousin always gave him cool stuff like the hacksaw she gave him last year. Sebastian could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a hailstorm was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his set of camo fatigues. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the swamp. He would have to wear a motorcycle helmet instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his beard.
He breezed downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Lancôme. His mom was standing there with a dish cloth in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a honk.
"Hi Mommy!" Sebastian replied sternly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the applesauce," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra rosemary. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Sebastian replied trustingly. "Do we have the Froot Loops ready?"
"I'm going to wait until eight o'clock to start that," his mother replied slowly. "It only has to braise for twenty-nine minutes."
"Okay," Sebastian replied grimly. "I'm gonna go to the boudoir."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some ice cream in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the boudoir 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," Sebastian responded, as he sat down to his ice cream. "Let's hang lots of striped balloons and cover the hammock and the hamper with periwinkle crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother zestily. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Marcie Xing. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a corkscrew."
"Bada bing bada boom," Sebastian responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a twitch. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."