Flash Fiction

Madison Shifflett

November 17, 2014

Core 1

Fourth of July

The year is 1936, the day they all gather together and they didn’t have to worry about segregation, the Fourth of July. The day they celebrated the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On this day, 160 years ago, the Americans declared independence from Great Britain. Today, is the Fourth of July.

All of the children sprang out of bed bright and early this morning and immediately woke up their parents. The family desperately wanted to get down to the crop fields so that they can pick the fruits and vegetables for the picnic the adults were holding for everyone later that day. As soon as they spotted the fields, they all started sprinting towards them in an attempt to get there faster. They gathered pumpkins, watermelons, and anything else they thought was right for the occasion. They were all so giddy with excitement, they didn't even care about the mud that they felt squishing between their toes, or the smell of the fertilizer that was so potent it made their eyes water.

As they walked over to the picnic area, they noticed there were people already starting to gather around the tables, so they started rushing to put everything down. It always put a smile on their faces knowing that today is one of the only days of the year that blacks and whites are equal. They all ate together, the children played together, and the adults conversed throughout the entire day. Although it was a troubling time in general, everyone had a good time celebrating.

They all knew that tomorrow it would go back to the way it always has been, so they took advantage of the time they had. It’s always fun seeing them all together, especially because it doesn't happen often. At the end of the day, everybody pitched in and helped clean up the picnic area. All in all, today was a successful day.