Buddy's BIG Birthday <Illustration of 6-10 year old Buddy in room playing with dog / Mother shown in kitchen looking at list> Buddy X was busy teaching his dog Ralphie tricks when he heard his mother call him. “Buddy,” called Mrs. X. “Come into the kitchen, Buddy, we need to talk!” “What's up, Mom? I'm doing stuff! Ralphie is learning to play dead and I think we can put him in the movies soon!” <Illustration: Buddy imagines big movie screen image of dog doing amazing stunts with Buddy watching on proudly, or possibly on-set as the director, filming> “Buddy, we have to talk about this guest list for your birthday party. I just don’t think we can invite everyone you know…there's too many!” Buddy was friends with almost everyone he met. “But Mom! Didn’t you say I could make the list myself this year? <Illustrations of real life present day mom and Buddy looking at the extremely long list will be interspersed throughout> “Yes, I know Buddy, but we just don't have enough room for this many kids in the house! Listen, I know your friends are important to you. I’m willing to work with you, but let's shrink the list down a bit to include only your really GOOD friends. Okay?” “We can try, Mom.” Buddy put on a sad face for a moment. “But I think they are all really GOOD friends!” Buddy didn’t want to leave anyone out. He had plans for the biggest birthday party the town of Linden had ever seen! Mom looked worried. “Nobody has this many close friends Bud. Look at this list. Let's go through it together and see what we can do.” <Illustration of Mom’s imagination of her house packed from floor to ceiling, with presents and decorations, cramped parents and crawling with kids performing wild shenanigans> “First you have Amy Adams. Is she a special friend or just a friend?” “Amy is a special friend” said Buddy. “She always helps me with my drawings at school, and she laughs at all of my jokes! It won't be fun without her! Someday she’ll be a famous artist and maybe, if we stay good friends, I’ll be the guy who sells her artwork and makes us rich!” <illustration – recognizable Buddy but with a moustache or suit pictured as auctioneer or as ritzy gallery owner having a fancy gallery opening with paintings, sculptures, etc.> “Oh. Ok. What about Travis Snow? Isn’t he the really noisy one?” Mrs. X asked. “He's a good one too, Mom! Travis is really good at video games and someday we're going to be partners and make our own game. He HAS to come!” <Illustration of the two boys playing high energy game with futuristic style. Travis is appears to be being loud>
“Buddy, try to cooperate with me here. I can't possibly have all these kids over here. What about Chris James?” “Chris is VERY special mom. He's like a super genius! You'll see when we start playing games at the party. We need him to set things up and tell us how to play! I don’t want to leave him out. What if he grows up to be President or something? I could be his right hand man!” <Illustration of Buddy standing at a podium speaking to a large crowd about something appearing of great importance with Mr. President by his side, humbly listening to him speak.> “Oh, Buddy. Why do you have such an imagination? How about Brooke Jackson?” “I can't just not invite my best friends Mom. Brooke is totally special! She runs the fastest, jumps the highest, and throws the farthest of anyone I know. She's going to be the female superhero in my video game someday! <Illustration>…And Amy is going to draw the characters, and Travis is going to make up the challenges, and Chris is in charge of the computer stuff.” Buddy hopped down to look in the fridge for snacks. “Now Buddy, I have only met a few of your friends and almost none of their parents. Maybe some of them live too far away to come your party. Maybe they can't all make it. How about this one! Raymond Arnold. I've never heard of him!” “Little Ray?! Of course you have! He's the best story writer ever! Remember when I told you about the giant zombie snowmen story?!” <Illustration> “Oh yes. Of course. Little Ray.” “Yeah! I wrote everyone's real name down for you so you can look them up to invite them” “But Buddy, I didn't plan to call them all. I just thought you would give them each an invitation at school. I don't really know these people.” “We want to know who can come though, right? Well Mom, if you don't talk to anyone, how are you going to know anyone?” “Buddy, Buddy, Buddy,” Mrs. X sighed. “I'll never have as many friends as you! Who has the time?” She smiled and ruffled Buddies hair. “But that's probably a good idea. I'll call the parents. That way I can mark the ones off the list that can't make it.” <Illustration> “Ok Mom. Thank you Mom!” Later in the week, Buddy was worried about how the birthday party list was coming. The big day was coming up soon. He found his mom in the living room on the phone. <Illustration> “Thank you so much Mrs. Wiley! That's a great idea. I'll see you there! Bye!”
“How’s it going, Mom?” Buddy was happy that his mom sounded happy. He remembered how concerned she was about the list a few days before. “Everything is going well, Son! I have some good news for you. I called all the parents of the friends on your list, and it looks like most of them are coming!” “For real?!” Buddy asked, excited at the news, but puzzled that Mom no longer seemed stressed. “And that’s ok with you now? What happened?” “Oh you’ll see, honey. Birthdays are for surprises, aren’t they?” Mrs. X looked at him coyly. <Illustration> When the big day came, Buddy could hardly control his excitement. His imagination had been running wild since his mother said he would be surprised. He sprung from his bed and dressed himself quickly and dashed out to the living room. There he was stunned to see that there were no decorations up anywhere! Had mother forgotten his birthday? Where was she anyway? Just then Mrs. X came in the front door. She was wearing a lovely polka dot dress with her hair up and did not look stressed at all! “Happy birthday, little Buddy!” Mom chirped. <Illustration> Buddy’s imagination ran wild. He thought maybe his mother’s body had been overtaken by aliens or something! She was beaming! Not stressed, not worried, but beaming! And she was not decorating, not baking, not anything! This was not normal “Mom” birthday day behavior! “Who are you, and what have you done with my Mother?!” he exclaimed, boldly. “It’s me Buddy. Let’s get your shoes on now and get ready for your party!” Buddy was suspicious, but he put on his shoes, and ate breakfast quickly, brushed his teeth and combed his hair. He didn’t want to anger the alien that had obviously abducted his mother and was luring him in with this cheerful attitude. <Imagination Illustration> Buddy accepted his fate of living with the aliens as this cheerful mom impersonator guided him to the family van. “Now Buddy, she said, I want you to put on this blind-fold. Don’t peek until I tell you take it off.” Buddy obeyed without question. If he went along peacefully, if he lived amongst them, he imagined he just might be able to infiltrate their troops and save the rest of the planet from a hostile takeover. <Imagination Illustration> “Okay sweetheart,” she sang, “you may look now. Surprise!” Buddy wasn’t sure he wanted to look. But he lifted the blind-fold off to find that he was not in outer space! He was at the park! As he looked around, he saw balloons, decorations, a bouncy castle, and tons and tons of people! “What is this?!” He asked, clearly surprised. “Why it’s your Birthday Party, Buddy!” Mrs. X answered. “For me?!” Buddy was shocked.
“Buddy, I knew I couldn’t have a party with all of your friends in our little house. And I was right about that. And you said that if I never talked to anyone I wouldn’t know anyone. You were right about that. I made a lot of friends with the parents and they helped me to give you the party you wanted because they each offered to pitch in something to help!” Travis’ dad is a master on the barbecue, Amy’s mom is a cake decorator! Ms. Wiley suggested the park. The bounce house was a great deal courtesy of the Joneses, and well, Buddy, I guess I learned from you that with some imagination and a lot of friends, you really can do anything! <Final illustration; crowd scene with Buddy followed by Mom and Ralphie running into the crowd of friends seen barbecuing, swinging at a piñata, jumping in the bounce house, flying kites, etc., friends are recognizable from the prior illustrations, maybe parents match with their kids in some way> The End