The Medford's Independence Day - Part 2

Good Morning Faithful Friday Fiction Fans!
I hope you all have had a charming week. Did any of you get rain? We did!!! It was so wonderful! I wanted to go out and take a walk in it but along with the rain came the thunder and lightning, so . . . I stayed indoors. I went up to write Saturday night (when we got the rain) and it was so pleasant to sit up there and write while listening to the pitter-patter of the water drops on the window and the skylight.


Friday and Saturday were just normal days.
On Sunday we again had to go to church in Dad's truck because my brother still has our van and had to have it if they were coming to church.
But, on Monday we made an appointment to use the van in the morning so we could do a few things. We went to Connie's, Jo-Ann's and Hobby Lobby. That was fun. We haven't been able to go anywhere except in the truck to church for a few weeks now.
The rest of the week was pretty much the same as it always is. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures from my illustrators before too long! I've heard from them and they are working.
I have been working on a new project. I'm compiling old letters that my grandparents wrote to their parents while my mom and her siblings were growing up. I've gotten the 50s done and laid out in a book except for adding pictures and I'm working on the 16s. It's rather fun reading about what was going on in their lives back then.

Today the N. children are coming over to spend a couple of hours. Don't know how long.


Writing Update: I finished writing the last short story for the younger short story book. And no, I'm not posting it. There are two stories in that book which are not going to be posted on here. That way it'll give you all something new to read if you get the book once it's published.
Last night I was going to work on TCR, but I realized I hadn't printed the last part yet and it had been a while so I couldn't remember what had happened. Then I was going to work on Dr. Morgan, but I couldn't decide if it should be the next morning, afternoon or the next day. (Any suggestions?) So I just worked on another short story that I think you all will enjoy. It is rather fun and I've laughed a bit as I've written. I don't know how long it will be. Right now it is 3,500 words long. How long do you all want it?

Oh yes, I'm still looking for a few one or two sentence reviews to put on the back of the short story books. If you would like to write one (please!) I'd love to have it! But I'm going to need it soon. So either e-mail it or leave it in a comment. Thanks!


Here is the last of the Medford's Independence Day. I hope you enjoy it.
Last week:

    The quiet of the early afternoon didn’t last more than an hour and a half for the children couldn’t remain quiet any longer. Their backyard, the only one in the neighborhood with a real playground, swings and forts, was the gathering place for every child around and soon the yard was teeming with shouts, laughter and children.
    Walter and his best friend, Frank, organized the battle of Yorktown while Lillian, Alice, Helen and their friends reenacted the dumping of tea in the Boston harbor. All in all it was a lively afternoon and when the telephone of the Medford home began to ring, Mr. Medford send all the extra children home for their suppers.
    “It is too nice to eat inside,” Mr. Medford began to his wife and Mary Rose.
    “And the children are much too excited to sit at the dining room table,” Mrs. Medford returned laughing.
    “Eating outside will be just the thing!” exclaimed Mary Rose, pausing in her work of cutting up a watermelon.
    As was expected, the rest of the Medfords agreed that eating outside was the best thing to do on the 4th of July, and a merry meal they made.
    “Hurry up with the dishes, girls,” Walter urged as Lillian and Alice set about their evening task slowly. “It won’t be dark for a while, and I think we should have time for our own parade.”
    “Oh yes!” Alice exclaimed, flying about the kitchen. “I had forgotten all about that!”
    “What about the others?” Lillian asked as she began washing the dishes with haste.
    “Frank said they’d be over as soon as they could after they had eaten. I’m going to run over and remind a few of the others. Just hurry.”
    “We are!”

    The other children began arriving just as Lillian and Alice were finishing the last of the dishes.
    “We haven’t swept the floor!” wailed Alice mournfully.
    “I’ll do that,” Mary Rose offered. “We didn’t eat inside so it won’t need much. You two go on.”
    After a quick thanks to their sister, the girls flew out the door and joined the others.
    Sitting on the front porch, Mr. and Mrs. Medford smiled at the sight of the new parade, for Walter, the undisputed leader of the neighborhood children, carried the American flag, and beside him, playing his trumpet marched Frank while behind them a dozen or so children marched, eyes before them, proudly singing,
    “My country tis of thee,
    Sweet land of liberty
    Of thee I sing.”

    Down the street the children’s parade marched, singing the songs of their country loudly as they followed the stars and stripes. All about the neighborhood Walter and Frank led them and everywhere they went, friends, neighbors, older and younger brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents came out of their houses to stand or sit on their porches and watch and listen until the parade ended at last where it had started, before the Medford home.

    As soon as it began to grow dark, the Medford family again left their home. This time to walk up the street to the corner where they were joined by Grandma and Grandpa Medford as well as most of the neighbors.
    “Mary Jo,” Grandma Medford asked Mrs. Medford, “did you know about the children’s parade?”
    Mrs. Medford shook her head, “Not until they started,” she replied smiling.
    “Well, they certainly did a fine job,” Mrs. Rochester put in.
    And Mrs. Burton, Frank and Katie’s mother, agreed.

    The fireworks display was grand and many were the cries of delight from those gathered on the grass or in the trees to watch. When at last, the final glittering light faded into the dark but star-spangled sky, most of the crowd hurried home. The Medford children were especially excited.
    As Mrs. Medford tucked the younger three, who had fallen asleep, into bed, Mr. Medford, Mary Rose, Walter, Lillian, Alice and Helen brought out their fireworks. The sparklers were handed out to the girls while Walter and his father prepared the others. All down the street other families were getting ready as well.
    “I’m sure glad that our street is the first connecting street between Main and Broadway,” Alice exclaimed excitedly to Mary Rose. “Because now we can put on our own show.”
    “Yes,” Lillian agreed. “This is always my favorite part of the day.”
    It was indeed a show to all those cars driving down the street that night. On either side, sparklers glittered and glowed waving in spirals, circles or other shapes from eager hands while from the driveways bright colored lights shot up into the sky with loud booms, whizzes, whistles and pops. Shrieks and shouts came from children in the passing cars, and the children on the sidewalks returned the calls until they were hoarse.
    Finally the last car disappeared and the last firework was sent whizzing up to disappear in the darkness. Good nights were called among the neighbors and Mr. Medford directed his weary but still excited children into the house.
    “The younger three are already asleep,” Mrs. Medford reminded them as they prepared to troop upstairs to their beds after saying good night to their parents. “I don’t see how noise would wake them after sleeping through all the racket that went on, but leave the lights off.”
    “We will, Mama,” Mary Rose assured her. “I don’t think Helen will get any farther than the door of her room before she’s asleep,” she smiled as Helen stumbled with eyes nearly closed towards the stairs.
    Walter turned in the doorway and said, with a grin for his father, “Are we going to wake everyone up in the morning again, Dad?”
    Mr. Medford chuckled and winked while Mrs. Medford retorted, “Only if you don’t want to sit down tomorrow.” And she shook her head with a fond smile at her husband and son.
    “Good night, Mom, Dad,”
    “Good night.”   
    Silence settled down over the neighborhood, lights turned off in the houses and only the sound of a few crickets and cicadas broke the silence of the last half an hour of that glorious Independence Day.

What did you think of it?

Did you like it?

Would you like to read more about the Medford family?