Rutherford woke up with a woof. Today was his birthday! He was going to have a lot of fun today. First, he would dress up in a straitjacket and a feather boa. Then, he would run downstairs to see if the auditorium was decorated and ready for the party. They had invited four of his closest friends. When everyone arrived, they would spend two hours playing fun games like ring around the rosie and blackjack. His mom was planning to make plenty of pumpkin pie and chicken soup for everyone. Rutherford would try to blow out all eighteen candles on the black and crimson cake. While the guests were eating their cake, Rutherford would be opening his gifts. Maybe the first package would contain a bicycle! He hoped it would be a puzzling bicycle. His friend Hugh had said he would give him an acorn, and his girlfriend always gave him cool stuff like the business card she gave him last year. Rutherford could hardly wait!
He glanced out the window and was surprised to see that a rainbow was on its way. Hopefully, that wouldn't deter anyone from coming. He looked in his closet for his straitjacket. It wasn't there. Uh oh. It was still dirty from his day at the mountainside. He would have to wear a dog collar instead. He didn't really care, as long as he could still wear his feather boa.
He tramped downstairs and went into the kitchen. It smelled like chicken soup. His mom was standing there with a spoon in her hand. "Happy Birthday Son!" she said with a grin.
"Hi Mommy!" Rutherford replied testily. "What are you doing?"
"I'm making the pumpkin pie," she replied. "I decided to make it with extra cream of mushroom soup. Hope that's okay with you."
"I guess so," Rutherford replied glibly. "Do we have the chicken soup ready?"
"I'm going to wait until three o'clock to start that," his mother replied valiantly. "It only has to mix obediently for fifteen minutes."
"Okay," Rutherford replied perkily. "I'm gonna go to the auditorium."
"First, young man, you need to have some breakfast. I've got some applesauce in the skillet for you."
"Can't I just take a peek at the auditorium 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," Rutherford responded, as he sat down to his applesauce. "Let's hang lots of blue balloons and cover the pillow and the bunk bed with golden crepe paper."
"That's fine," said his mother furiously. "The paper plates and napkins have pictures of your favorite singer, Shandra Pierce. Set the table with them, and make sure everyone has a melon baller."
"Okay," Rutherford responded. "I'm done, can I get started with the decorating now?"
"I think you inhaled your food," said Mother with a power fist. "Go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."