The theme is murder mystery. Think Clue. Think Westing Game. Think Masque of the Red Death. Think Harry Packer Inn, Jim Thorpe. There are thirteen guests, including myself. Dress code is formal. The most formal. Extravagant. The absolute most. I want ball gowns. I want tuxedos and shoes that shine in the darkness. I want flashy ties and jewelry that sparkles. I want the mink scarf you found at the thrift store. I want your great-great-grandmother's hairpin. I want your 18th century ancestors’s pocket watch. Phones will be checked in at the door. You may bring a separate camera. Appetizers are fried mashed potato and mac and cheese balls and fruit kabobs and cheese platters. Salad choices include: house, caesar, and waldorf with dressing options of caesar, ranch, Italian, French, and vinaigrette. Soup choices include: chicken noodle, beef potato stew, clam chowder, french onion, vegetable, tomato, miso, and gumbo. Main dish choices would include: spaghetti, rosemary and lemon chicken with potatoes, lobster and caviar, steak, prime rib, ham, lamb, and salmon fillet over rice with a nice marinade. Desserts include: lemon poppy seed cake, tiramisu, various combinations of chocolate and fruits, raspberry tart, angel food cake, red velvet muffins/cupcakes, classic cheesecake, lemon meringue, and some sort of soft cookie. Drinks include: an assortment of teas, coffee, champagne, hot chocolate, and vanilla lavender limeade. There is also bread. Always. There’s at least six different types of bread. There’s bread baskets in every room but the bathrooms. The party favor is leaving with your life. It’s a murder mystery. Someone is murdered. “When thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die,” Professor Trelawney, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling.