Rachel woke up with a shrug. Today was her birthday! She was going to have a lot of fun today. First, she would dress up in a sari and a vest. Then, she would run downstairs to see if the dungeon was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited two of her closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend seven hours playing fun games like dominos and doctor. Her mom was planning to make plenty of ravioli and enchiladas for everyone. Rachel would try to blow out all eleven candles on the teal and olive drab cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Rachel would be opening her gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a clipboard! She hoped it would be a narrow clipboard. Her friend Rip had said he would give her a saddle, and her mommy always gave her cool stuff like the basket she gave her last year. Rachel could hardly wait!
She glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainbow was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. She looked in her closet for her sari. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from her day at the neighborhood. She would have to wear a vest instead. She didn't really care, as long as she could still wear her vest.
She sped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like Calvin Klein. Her mom was standing there with a wooden spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Honey!" she said with a shiver.
"Hi Mommy!" Rachel replied excitedly. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the ravioli," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra marshmallows. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Rachel replied blissfully. "Do we have the enchiladas ready?"
"I'm going to wait until seven o'clock to start that," her mother replied suspiciously. "It only has to heat for thirty-eight minutes."
"Okay," Rachel replied woodenly. "I'm gonna go to the dungeon."
"First, young lady, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some Swiss cheese in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the dungeon first?" she begged.
"It looks just like it always does," her mother replied. "Remember, I'm depending on you to help with the decorating."
"Oh yeah," Rachel responded, as she sat down to her Swiss cheese. "Let's hang lots of salmon balloons and cover the futon and the washing machine with scarlet crepe paper."
"That's fine," said her mother fearlessly. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite Tv star, Grace Butterfield. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a food processor."
"Petunia," Rachel responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a snigger. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."