Fireworks
Angelica Petersen
“There’s going to be another fireworks show here in Stellville!”
“Really?”
“Yes, Jan! If you want to see the spectacular, be sure to head to Townsquare around nine PM!”
“You hear that?” my mother smiled. “Another fireworks show!” She looked from the small television and then toward me while taking another sip of her coffee.
“Yeah, sounds cool. Do you think I could go to Riley’s house after school?” After thinking quickly, I added, “I’ll still meet you at Townsquare for the show.”
“Sure, I don’t see why not!” she chirped. She placed her coffee cup gently down on the wooden table.
“Fools! They’re lying to you! Again! And you idiots keep believing them!” Grandpa was able to hear the kitchen television from his old armchair in the living room. The living room was dreary compared to the bright kitchen. The kitchen’s windows allowed light to bounce off the yellow walls, and it was filled with all kinds of greenery. On the other hand, the living room contained dark furniture and dusty keepsakes that belonged to my grandfather. His favorite spot in the entire house was in his chair in the corner of the room.
“Honestly, Dad. When will you give it a rest?” Mom purposely dropped her voice and mumbled on the off chance he wouldn’t hear. “Every time you say ‘fake news’ it takes two years off of my life expectancy.” We giggled, knowing that Grandpa could hear our laughter just as well as he listened to the news anchors’ voices.
“I’m telling the goddamn truth, Diane! Lizard people are controlling the media! How can you not see that?”
Mom got up from her chair and walked into the living room. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and asked, “Did you forget to take your medicine again, Dad?”
“I told you! The government is trying to poison me! Just like they poisoned you!” he shouted back. Her height made him look small in comparison. I often wondered what made him think the way he did. Maybe Grandma’s untimely death pushed his brain over the edge, or perhaps he had always been that crazy.
“Oh yeah? What does this ‘poison’ do? Make me want to watch fireworks?”
Grandpa was about to speak before I interrupted whatever retort he was about to offer.
“I got to go. I’m going to be late for school. Bye, Mom!” I kissed her cheek as I picked up my backpack, passing Grandpa as I headed out the door.
Before I was able to shut it behind me, he managed to shout, “Eleanor, tell your friends to stay inside tonight! The news is full of lies!”
As I turned the key to lock the door, I heard a voice call, “Finally! What took you so long?” Riley was outside waiting for me on the sidewalk outside my house. She did this every weekday so that we could walk to school together.
“Sorry! I got caught up watching the news. There’s going to be another firework display tonight. Oh, and Mom said it’s fine if I go to your place after school.”
“Another one? Didn’t we have one yesterday?” asked Riley.
“Yeah. I don’t mind it, though. I like seeing the entire town come together.”
“You’re right, that is nice,” she decided. We walked side by side on the smooth path towards school. It was dark and a little chilly, just like it was every morning. Every house we passed looked the same as the last one. I made up my mind a while ago that the architect designing our neighborhood must have either been on a budget or just lazy.
At school, there was a lot of buzz about the newest firework show. Many students were happy since they believed that the teachers would give less homework, which would allow us to be in Townsquare by nine.
By the time lunch rolled around, the talk about the event had died down. We all ate spaghetti on Wednesdays, so I grabbed one of the numerous indistinguishable trays from the lunch lady and sat down across from Riley. “My grandfather thinks the news is lying again,” I disclosed.
Riley finished chewing a mouthful of pasta and asked, “About what?”
I shrugged and stabbed some spaghetti with my fork. “I’m not entirely sure. Something about the fireworks.”
“Well, the whole town thinks that your grandfather is-” she paused so she could choose her next words carefully, “wired a bit differently. So I’m not surprised.”
“Yeah, he is wired a bit different, isn’t he?” I agreed.
“Eh, it happens when you’re the oldest person in a ten-mile radius,” she added.
The rest of the school day was uneventful. The gym teachers did not care that some of us had to walk home, and they made us run a lap around the track. Thankfully, the walk to Riley’s house wasn’t long. We did our homework and talked for a couple of hours in her bedroom while waiting for nine o’clock. Her room was painted a light gray and had one big window just like mine. I liked that our bedrooms were so similar; it made it easier to navigate her room. At a quarter to nine, her family and I started walking to Townsquare, and sure enough, the entire town was there. Kids were running around, and adults were talking about the day’s activities. Groups of teens hung around each other, pretending to be anywhere else. It was getting pretty dark, but I was still able to see well. I managed to spot my mother and grandfather in the crowd. I was surprised Mom was able to drag Grandpa out; he hadn’t come to yesterday’s show. Riley and I headed towards them, making our way through the sea of people.
The mayor of Stellville tapped on a microphone. Everyone fell silent. The mayor’s voice echoed throughout the crowd. “Good evening, everyone! I hope you enjoy the show. We worked very hard to make this happen! This is definitely not our last firework show, so be sure to keep tuning in to the news! Alright, let’s get started!” The crowd erupted into cheers. Instantly, a colorful explosion occurred in the sky, followed by more screams of delight from the crowd. Another loud burst in the sky soon overshadowed their voices. The colors of the blasts were mesmerizing. The crowd oohed and aahed synchronously as if one person.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” I heard the man next to me ask his wife.
She replied, “It sure is. It never gets old.”
“How could they!” Grandpa cried. Many people turned to look at him with disgust before quickly returning their gaze to the fireworks. He took a couple of deep breaths and shakily repeated, “How could they?” Wet tears started to form in his eyes.
My mother rolled her eyes. “Get over it, Dad. Look at the fireworks; they’re gorgeous!”
“I told you yesterday and the day before that! Those aren’t fireworks!” Tears were streaming down his face. I expected this. He couldn’t even try to act sane in front of our neighbors.
“There are different types of fireworks. You know this, Grandpa,” I said, exasperated.
He gestured towards the sky as another CRACK diffused in the atmosphere.” Eleanor, those are planets! They have creatures and civilizations and plants! And they just-just–” he was desperately trying to shout over the joy of the crowd–”blow them up! As if they’re nothing!”
“What was today’s planet called?” I asked my mother. I must have left for school before I heard the news anchors mention it. I could tell Grandpa was hurt by the fact that I didn’t acknowledge him. More bits of rocks were ignited in the sky.
My mother thought for a second. “Earth, I believe.”
“Well, out of all the planets that we’ve burst, this one is the prettiest,” Riley concluded. She cheered with the crowd as another detonation went off.
“I think you’re right. All that debris in its orbit make the explosions more satisfying,” Mom offered. Grandpa stared at her as she watched the sky above.
“How could you say that!” screeched Grandpa. Everyone ignored him.
Chunks of rock burned in the atmosphere. Riley wondered, “Do you think there’s going to be another show tomorrow?” Grandpa shook his head in disbelief and looked away from us.
“Probably. The news anchors said that this planet is only the third planet in its galaxy,” my mother replied, her eyes locked on the sky.
“Sweet! Maybe they’ll be fireworks all week!” I exclaimed. Another explosion erupted above, and Mom, Riley, and I oohed with the crowd. Grandpa covered his eyes and turned away.
Angelica Petersen is currently a senior and is majoring in Genetics and minoring in Psychology. She is the president of the Association of Undergraduate Geneticists club at Rutgers. She enjoys painting, sketching, and writing whenever she gets a break from her studies. Her hometown is Union, New Jersey.