Setting Up The Party

[Louis]

       I arrived at Lake Dusty and began setting up. I found a nice group of picnic tables under some oaks beside the lake. It was really a pretty lake. The water was the right temperature for swimming, and there was a small sandy bank near the picnic tables I had chosen. The rest of the area around the lake was covered with short grass and a few scattered oaks. It was a great place to play frisbee or kick a soccer ball around.

       I didn't know how many people Nutsy invited, so I brought table cloths for four tables. I figured that would be plenty, and if more people make it to this little shindig, we could always take over more tables.

       Luckily, I didn't see anyone else at the lake today. It was a good thing too, as I figured explaining some of our guests would be rather dificult. I hummed 'Teddy Bears' Picnic' to myself as I set up the table cloths.

       I set my covered tupperware bowl of potato salad on one of the tables. It was my mom's special recipe, really good stuff. Next, I brought out a small bag of charcoal and proceded to light the barbecue. I had made a deal with Serin. I made the special meat sauce he had described in return for a portion of whatever he meat he was bringing. The invitation had said ethnic food, but I wasn't about to eat a raw dead animal. As to exactly what animal the blue fox was going to bring, we had decided on 'Don't ask, don't tell' in order not to offend the sensibilities of anyone present. It was all steak as far as we were concerned, though it might not taste like any steak I'd ever eaten.

       Nutsy was the next to arrive. The flying squirrel was lugging a big pecan pie. "Hiya, Nutsy. That looks good!" I called. "Here let me take that from you." I set the pie on the table, and Nutsy looked relieved. I wondered how far he had been carrying that thing on his back. I picked up the flying squirrel and set him on my shoulder, then continued my preparations.

       Josh and Faehlyn arrived together. Faehlyn carried what looked to be a big pot of some sort of crawdad jambalaya. Josh had a container of some sort of berry punch. I set both up on the table.

       Serin was the last of my group to arrive. He caried three brace of *something*, skinned and cleaned. I stuck them in the ice chest so they could be heated to taste when we were all ready to eat. My guess was that they were rabbits, but I really couldn't say.

       The five of us sat down on a picnic table bench and waited for our guests to show up. Actually, that didn't last very long. Serin went to take a snooze under one of the oak trees. Josh and Faeh produced a ball which they took out into the field and tossed back and forth. I just leaned back against the table and watched them playing.

       "So, when is everybody going to get here?" I asked the squirrel on my shoulder.

       "Soon I hope. I'm getting hungry!"

       "How many invitations did you send? I got RSVPs from Foxeris, Zen, Thrysten, Oriana, Sora, and somefurry named Kyrn."

       Nutsy ticked people off with his fingers as I listed them. "I sent out more to than that. Hmm. Didn't you receive anything from Brian and Kalindra? I could have sworn I sent one to them. I also sent one to Adrian, Talharan, and Kathalla. Didn't I? Wait. I think I did. Well, I know I made them an invitation. And I sent it. I sent it to them. Or did I? Maybe I sent it twice. I don't remember! Oh no. Where did I send those invitations?!" the little squirrel chittered in panic.

       "You mean you have no idea who received some of those invitations?" I was starting to get worried.

       "Yes! No. I can't remember. Think. Think. I sent them, yes. But who received them?!"

       I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to wring my friend's neck. "Well, whoever it is, I hope they like potato salad and are not upset by self-combusting invitations!"