Chapter 9
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY GRISELDA
It seemed that summer had just begun and already there was a heat wave in the city. It was so hot that Josh and Marcia hurried to work in the morning because their offices were cooled by air conditioners. Arielle and Evan weren't so lucky, but at least they had wading pools in the playground at their daycare center. But poor Melanie. She loved drama camp except that there was no air conditioning and no place to swim. She spent her days on the small stage in a room called 'the sweat box'.
Griselda experimented with different magic potions to keep herself cool and with new recipes for salads, cold soups, and other hot weather foods. Everyone looked forward to the July Fourth weekend because they were going to the mountains for a short vacation.
They were going to a place called the The Farm House Inn. Everyone was especially excited because they were going to meet some of their favorite relatives there. Josh's sister Carrie was coming with her family.
Josh and Marcia packed on Thursday night, so that they could leave right after breakfast on Friday morning. Although they were only going to be away for three days, the back of the station wagon was filled with all their suitcases, the beach toys, the hammock, the porta crib, the stroller, the back pack, and the baby water float. Griselda travelled light, with just one small bag fastened to the back of her broom and little Buster, who was beginning to grow reddish, rooster feathers, perched securely onto her shoulder.
On Friday morning the family piled into the car and drove away, while Griselda followed above on her broom. The sky was hazy white when they began the trip and everyone felt sticky.
They arrived at the Inn before lunch. The sky was still overcast, but the air was cleaner than it had been in the city and the grass and trees made it smell better. They brought their suitcases to their rooms to unpack.
When they got to their rooms, who should just be coming down the hall, but Aunt Carrie, Uncle Rod, and their kids, all wet and sandy from a morning at the lake.
"They're here!" cousin Davey shouted running.
"They're here, they're here," shouted his sister Becca, close behind, and little BJ following on her heels.
"Look, Evan's walking," Carrie admired. "And Arielle, you've gotten so big."
Arielle and Evan's cousins had gotten big too.
"Don't call me Davey anymore," said Davey . "I'm 'Dave' now.
"I can read to Arielle and Evan, said Becca. "I'm reading chapter books now. "
"I let you use my swim ring this week," BJ told Arielle. "I just learned to swim. I don't need it anymore."
Everyone was talking at once, and the children were jumping up and down with excitement. Griselda felt a little shy at first, but Uncle Rod went right up to her and shook her hand. "You must be Griselda," he said. "I hear you do magic tricks. I'm a bit of a magician myself. Maybe we can trade secrets."
"Rod does tricks at children's parties and street fairs," Josh explained.
At lunch time they all sat together. They began to talk about the celebration planned for the next day.
"They have an old fashioned Fourth of July at Apple Valley Inn," said Carrie. "In the morning, the children have a parade. Then they have a big dinner and games in the afternoon."
"And they have fireworks at night," added Rod. "That is, if it doesn't rain. I hear they're predicting quite a storm for tomorrow."
"Oh no," said Melanie, "Are you sure?"
"It can't rain on the Fourth of July," said Dave. "That's unpatriotic."
"Yes it can," said Marcia. "I remember it rained one Fourth of July when my sister had planned a picnic. She had it anyway, in her apartment. Everyone came with hampers full of food, beach hats, sun tan lotion, things like that. We ate on blankets on the floor, with a big lamp shining on us, so we could pretend it was sunny."
"I bet it wasn't as fun as a real picnic," Becca said.
"No, it wasn't," Marcia admitted, and everybody sighed.
"What's so important about the Fourth of July?" Griselda asked.
"It's an Independence Day celebration for our country." Josh explained. "On July fourth, 1776, the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from England. That was the beginning of our country, the United States of America."
"You've seen the American flag," added Marcia. "It has red and white stripes and fifty stars on a field of blue. The flag is a very important symbol to our country, so we celebrate by flying flags."
"I see," said Griselda. "That would be too bad if it rained on an important day like that."
It got a little breezy during the afternoon, while people swam and played tennis. By dinner time, there were dark storm clouds on the horizon. By bed time, neither the moon, nor any stars could be seen in the sky, and it was very windy.
When people woke up the next morning, the storm was in full force.
"It's raining cats and dogs," Josh commented as he put on his white pants, blue and white striped shirt and red sweat shirt.
"It's hard to get in the holiday spirit," said Marcia as she dressed Evan in his blue overalls and red and white striped shirt .
After breakfast, it was still raining hard, so the parade would have to be indoors. The children all met in Dave, Becca, and BJ's room to get ready for it. Aunt Carrie had brought a big bag of craft supplies to make costumes with. Josh and Carrie helped the children make paper plate masks and construction paper crowns. They also made flags for everyone to carry.
By noon, it was time for everyone to meet in the lounge for the parade. All the children at the inn were there, dressed in their creative costume finery. Most wore red, white, and blue clothes. Some wore red, white and blue face paint or glitter. One older girl sprayed red, white, and blue into her hair.
Dave wore a home made beard and a top hat with stars and stripes which made him look like Uncle Sam. Melanie dressed in a green bathrobe and carried a torch and a tablet to look like the Statue of Liberty. Becca, BJ, and Arielle each had little toy drums to play as they marched. Even Evan was there, chewing on his flag. So was Uncle Rod, the biggest kid of all. He was pulling colored scarfs out of the air and tossing them to the crowd.
The children began lining up in the front hall for the parade. Just when it was time for them to begin, Griselda came in, with the most remarkable costume of all. She flew in on her broom, which was decorated with red and white stripes on the handle and blue straw. Sitting on the brim of her hat, was Buster, with a red ribbon tied in a bow around his neck. Her cape and dress were blue with stars. Her hat and stockings were striped with red and white. Even her skin and hair were blue instead of her usual green.
Griselda took her place at the front of the line and led the parade, flying a few feet above the ground. She had a boom box attached to the back of her broom which played 'Stars and Stripes Forever'. As she flew, the broom ejected a sprinkling of glittery stars from behind. She led the parade through the main building, through the lounges, the dining hall, and kitchen, and back.
All the children were very proud of the fine show they made, and so were their parents. They marched back to the front hall and then Griselda led them to the front door. The door flew open, seemingly by itself, chilling everyone with wind and rain. Buster hopped off Griselda’s hat just in time before Griselda flew out into the storm.
"Griselda, where are you going?" Melanie called, as she picked up Buster, who was hopping and peeping excitedly.
"I'll be back soon," Griselda answered, and she flew out of sight.
Everyone was surprised by what Griselda had done. Although her friends had come to expect surprises from her, they were a little worried. "I hope she's careful," Marcia said.
While eating their lunch of salmon and peas, the guests noticed that the rain had diminished to a drizzle. Soon they were eating dessert of apple pie, topped with red, white, and blueberry icecream.
It was just then that Griselda walked in dripping wet and bedraggled. She left puddles, wherever she walked, and her hair, which was normally wiry and bushy, was matted and stringy. Her skin was green again.
"Griselda, what were you doing outside in the rain?" Marcia asked.
"It's not raining now," Griselda responded avoiding the question. It was true. When people looked out the windows they saw that although the sky was still gray, the sun was beginning to peep through. Water was still dripping from the trees and roof, but none was coming from the sky.
"Is that what you were doing?" Josh asked Griselda, as she was eating her second piece of pie. "Did you stop the rain?"
"Would you believe me if I said yes," Griselda asked with a twinkle in her eye.
Before Josh could answer, Uncle Rod spoke up. "Don't be silly," he said. "Griselda's good, but she's not that good. Nobody can change the weather."
Then everybody began talking at once. Some people believed that Griselda stopped the rain. Others thought she hadn't, that it just was going to happen anyway. But in the end, it didn't matter how it stopped raining. By the time everyone was through with dessert, the sun was shining brightly and even the grass was mostly dry.
Everyone went back to their rooms to change into shorts for the July fourth games. While the loudspeaker filled the yard with patriotic tunes, they had a relay race, a three legged race, and a tug of war. They built a human pyramid, had their faces painted, and Griselda and Buster gave rides on the broom.
By mid afternoon it had become very hot, and everyone changed into their bathing suits to go to the beach. Someone brought water balloons and everyone had a grand time throwing them at each other. Nobody seemed to notice that although the sun shone brightly overhead, dark storm clouds were all along the horizon.
By evening, everyone was hungry for the picnic supper. They had hot dogs and hamburgers grilled on barbecues, and corn on the cob, potato salad and lemonade. For dessert they had watermelon and toasted marshmallows.
When it was dark, it was time for the fireworks. Even the younger children stayed up late to watch them. Everyone oohed and aahed at the dazzling display of colors which exploded overhead and almost seemed to rain down upon them. The fireworks began slowly but soon they began to come faster and faster. By the end they were coming so fast that the brilliant colored lights poured one over the other, the crackling explosions sounded in rapid fire, and the sky became white with smoke.
When the fireworks were over, people sat on the grass, chatting, and watching the sky clear. It was then that Griselda hopped on her broom and flew overhead. Out from behind her broom poured a glittering stream of red, white, and blue stars, which looked just like the fireworks except that they stayed in place in the sky. Griselda flew carefully in order to make just the design she had in mind. By the time she was through she had written a message which read:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA
Everyone clapped and cheered when they saw this special surprise that Griselda provided for them. After a few minutes, the words began to fade, and soon, the only lights in the sky were the twinkling stars. Now it was time for everbody to go to bed.
The next day at breakfast, Uncle Rod said, "I heard on the radio this morning that the storm we had yesterday morning covered all of New England and lasted until the middle of the night. It seems that we were lucky that somehow the weather cleared just over Apple Valley Inn."
"Lucky?" questioned Josh. "Lucky to have Griselda, I think."