A Fourth of July Saturday Centus!!!

The weather is under discussion again. Now it is so hot as to be dangerous. Heat index reaching 105 and 106 makes being outside miserable! Why, it might as well be winter; we are pushed inside to books, movies and looking out the windows while the electric meter races.

Speaking of weather, there are only 12 more days for submitting to the Storm Country anthology to benefit Joplin. (Seehttp://stormcountry.wordpress.com/ for details.) We are running short of fiction dealing with Midwestern weather issues. Anyone thought of writing a story about HEAT?

Today Jenny tosses out a prompt with words from our national anthem. Just right for the Fourth of July weekend since we are thinking patriotism and flags right now. Her prompt is Oh, say can you see. My offering is below and well, you won't be surprised to see me influenced by the Joplin tale...it is still very much with us here in southwestern Missouri. For full writing details, please visit Jenny at:http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/2011/07/saturday-centus-oh-say-can-you-see.html.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone!

                                                       Let It Wave!

Dennison stood in a daze after the killer tornado. As far as his eye could see, trees were stripped, houses gone; new vistas shimmered in drizzling rain. Parents stood on crushed debris clasping their children in a vise-like grip. Neighbor hugged neighbor in relief, celebrating being alive. Somewhere a tiny voice drifted over eerie silence.

In front of a flagpole that amazingly still stood erect as a ship’s mast, stood a petite child in ragged dress. She stared up at the unfurled flag singing “Oh say can you see…” Dennison stepped up beside her, his tears streaming, and joined with “and the home of the brave.”