Advisers’ note: At the turn of the 20th century, until World War II, newspapers routinely printed fictional stories as entertainment alongside traditional news articles. With this historical precedent in mind, the Kirn Cave is proud to present this short story by Lilyan Montona.

It was about nine in the morning when I woke up. It was summer break and I saw the bright streams of sunlight coming through a gap in my curtains. I got up and looked at my calendar. Today was circled in red ink. ”Yes!” I jumped up because of my initial excitement. ”It’s the fourth of July!” I got dressed as quickly as possible and I ran down the wooden steps.

I saw my mother walk out of her and my dad’s bedroom yawning. She was in a white bathrobe and looked awfully tired. ”What time is it?” She asked.

“Just about 9:00,” I replied. Her hair was all over the place.

“May I ask why you have so much energy at 9 a.m?”

“It’s the fourth of July!” I replied.

“Okay then. Wake up your brother and tell him to get up and get dressed, I’ll go and get ready.” She walked into her bedroom. I turned around and ran up the steps. I almost tripped once or twice.

I made it up the stairs and walked down the hall. It was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop. Then, only about six feet from his door, I heard him snoring. He had always been a loud snorer, but so was everyone in my family.

 His room was a mess. Unlike him, I was a clean freak. I would almost never let even a single thing of dust anywhere for long. Instead of clean carpets and walls, he had books all over the floor. As well as posters of superheroes and book characters lining the wall. There was even the occasional sock. And,even worse,the room always had a weird fishy smell to it. We may have been twins, but as far as anyone knew,we were complete opposites.

I carefully tiptoed around the books and pens and action figures so that I wouldn’t get an injury from whatever was in the huge piles of stuff. I quickly shook him awake, wanting nothing but to get out of this trash hole he liked to reside in. He opened his eyes slightly, ”What do you want Eva?” He said in a rude voice that he used every time he spoke to me. But this didn’t get on my nerves, because unlike him, I actually was a functioning human being.

“Get ready.” I said in a voice that I always used to get on his nerves. It was an imitation of his voice, just more high pitched

“Since when did I have to listen to you? And also, stop using that voice!” He yelled, his face still on his pillow.

“Because mom told me to come up here and wake you up so that you can get ready so that we can be ready for the fourth of July!” I yelled back. I made sure to use that voice. And, here we go again now me and him are yelling back and forth. At least I got him out of bed. We always fight like this. We, actually him, have been screaming at each other at the top of our lungs when our parents stomped  into his room.

“STOP FIGHTING!” They both yell. Me and my brother Harold look up at them. “Why can you two never stop fighting?” My mother asked.

”She started it!” Harold yelled, pointing at me.

“I started it Harold? Well, at least I-” I was cut off before I could finish.

“I don’t care who started it,” said my father, still dressed in his pajamas. “But, I better not hear you two fight for the rest of the day, or else we will cancel our plans today and you two will stay in your rooms all day. Do I make myself clear?” Me and Harold don’t say anything. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes dad.” I say.

“Yes dad.” Harold says a few seconds later.

“Now let’s go and eat breakfast,” Dad says.

About a minute or two later we are sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs. The eggs were delicious and the bacon was nice and crunchy. I felt so excited for the firework show, so I asked if we could go now. “No it isn’t. It’s way too bright outside and your cousins and uncles aren’t here yet.I’m sure it doesn’t start for another twelve hours.” She says.

“Cooome ooooooon,” I replied in a slow, obviously annoyed whine. 

“It’s not that bad. At least you will get to see your cousins! When I was a little girl I didn’t…” I zone her voice out of my mind and went back to eating my breakfast. When I was done, I put my dirty dish in the sink. I went into the living room and sat on one of the gray couches. It wasn’t a very soft couch. When we were at the furniture store, I wanted one that was nice and soft. The couch I wanted had white pillows with black cushions. It was soft too when I felt it, but my mother said no. But we instead got this itchy uncomfortable couch.

I laid down and started to try to take a nap, because maybe then it would be the firework show sooner! I thought it was a good idea, until I actually tried it. I shut my eyes, and tried my best to fall asleep. But instead I just laid down there, with my eyes closed trying to get myself to sleep. Eventually I just got up to help get the food ready with my mother. 

I went back into the living room holding a pan of cookies to see if my dad wanted one, but instead I found my cousins. Most of them were between three and nine.It was chaos until my mother came into the room.” Calm down,” she said. My cousins stopped for a second and then they went upstairs to me and my brother’s bedrooms.” I see you’re being generous enough to give your cousins some cookies.” She said to me, smiling.

“Cookies?” I heard one of my cousins say. He was one of the little cousins, and I couldn’t remember his name. He had brown hair that went everywhere and he had on a blue vest on top of a red, white, and blue shirt. He then ran up the stairs to tell the rest of my cousins the news.

“Quick! Set the cookies down and come to the kitchen!” My mother said laughing. I ran after her after putting the cookies down. 

“So is it time for the firework show yet?” I asked excitedly. “My cousins are here now.”

“Not yet, it’s only ten in the morning.” I heard a crash in the living room. “I have to stop them before the living room looks like a war-zone, so see you later Eva!” My mother walked out to the living room, and I followed her. 

“Welp. Bye!” I said after I saw the cookie crumbs everywhere and there was also a broken vase. I ran towards the stairs leaving the mess behind me. I quickly ran up to them too, and I turned to see one of my cousins following me up the stairs, holding a cookie in her hand. She had on a dress that made her trip and fall. I went into my room, and I closed the door and sat on my bed thinking about why I even loved the firework show so much.

It is the best part of the fourth of July because even though the loud bangs are loud, in the end when you see the bright blues and pinks and reds and whites fill the sky, it makes you want the show to go on forever. But, after about twenty minutes, they all stop. And even though this happens, it will be back next year.

The firework shows that I have seen are some of my first memories I have when I was little. They also remind me of my grandpa before he died last year. We all would go out and see the bright colors ignite the dark sky and hear the loud bangs, and I never wanted them to end.

We would bring lawn chairs in the trunk of my mom and dad’s car and take them out to the field where other families lay waiting for the magic to begin. My brother would stay in the car just reading books or playing with his dumb action figures. My parents tried to get him to come and watch them every year, but nothing worked.

Anyway, I was about to get off my bed, when my dad and brother came into the room, heavily breathing, as if they had been running. “Hi, Eva. Those cookies you gave those kids turned them into monsters.” He laughed and Harold looked at him strangely.

“They aren’t monsters dad, they are our cousins, just in a sugar frenzy.”

“What if it ruins the chances of us going to the firework show!” I said. I had been waiting all day for that, and now it might be taking from me!

“Its not even fun though, Eva. You only like it because of grandpa, and you aren’t the only one who had memories with grandpa!”

“I wasn’t even saying that!” 

“Stop guys. You don’t need to fight.” My dad intervened. I went to my bedroom window and looked at that tree that had always been there as my brother and dad talked and laughed by my door. And I thought about a memory from a long time ago.

When my brother and I used to be friends, we would try to climb that tree. I was always able to climb it but my brother never was able to. I remember the only time he was able to. But it had ended horribly. Once he was up he got to his feet and cheered. I cheered too. That was because  I was finally going to be able to play with him on the tree. I was getting incredibly lonely climbing in those branches, sitting playing with one of my dolls, and taking off some bright green leaves in the summertime.

But, this day when he stood up and cheered, he did something incredibly stupid. He even thought it would be okay if he jumped up. When he landed, he slipped on a piece of bark and some leaves and he started to fall off the tree. He held on with one of his hands and was slipping fast. I was hurrying towards him as fast as I could, but that’s kind of hard when I was up higher and I was across the entire tree.

When I was only a couple feet away I almost slipped and fell almost ten feet, but I got back to running. When I looked at where his hand used to be I couldn’t see his hand anymore. “Harold!” I remember yelling. When I got to where his hand used to be I looked down and saw him knocked out on the ground with his leg bent in an awkward position. I rushed down the tree and went to get our parents.

They had told us several times not to climb that tree. So when they asked why he was in the tree I told them a small lie that I told him that he shouldn’t have, but he didn’t listen.

That may have been two years ago but he still has stopped talking to me, and now every conversation ends in a fight.

“What are you guys doing?” I turned around to see my mom standing by the door. And looking at my dad and brother. “Everyone’s been looking for you guys.” She looked at the desk I have that had all my homework in a neat pile.

“Nothing.” I responded.I turned around and looked back out of my window. “Is it time to see the fireworks yet?” I asked.

“Stop asking, we will leave when we leave. Anyways, do you guys want to help me set the stuff for the sleepover that you and your brother have every year with your cousin’s?” She asks.

“Sure.” I walked down the stairs with her and my father and Harold went to Harold’s room. Me and my mom walked into the living room. My cousins were all sleeping on the floor, knocked out cold. They must’ve had a sugar crash.

“Can you get some blankets out of the hallway closet?” She asked.

“Sure.”

A while later me and my mom had everything ready and we had the snacks ready and dinner thought of. “Well,looks like it’s time, can you get your brother and father while I wake these kids up so that we can leave so that we don’t miss it.” She asked.

“It’s time?” I asked excitedly.

“It sure is. We have to hurry, it’s almost nine!” She said, I ran as fast as possible up the stairs and walked towards my brother’s room. I opened the door, seeing my dad and brother playing with action figures.

“Mom says it’s time to go.” I said to them.

“I’ll go get a book.” He said.I stood there waiting for him to grab a book from one of his many bookshelves but he did get one eventually. And my dad walked out with my brother out of the room with me walking in front of them. When we were downstairs everyone was already in the car.

We eventually got to the field and took out all the chairs we had in the back of the car. Harold stayed in the back like he did every year, and I was outside sitting on the lawn chair. My mom was sitting next to me when the first firework blew up in a sparkle of bright blue when she said, “This is why it’s good to be patient.” She held my hand and we both smiled at the night sky.