Philadelphia 1918

Submitted into Contest #80 in response to: Write about a child witnessing a major historical event.... view prompt

23 comments

Historical Fiction Sad

Saturday, September 28, 1918

Today, we went to the big parade! I got to sit on Father’s shoulders for a while to wave at men with instruments and dancing ladies. Father put me down after a few minutes and told me I’m too big to sit on his shoulders anymore. My brother tried to climb up a lamp post to see the parade over all the other people, but Mother made him climb down.

When the soldiers walked by, everyone gave them a salute. When the big tanks rolled by, my little sister tried to run out into the street after them. Mother stopped her before she got lost in the crowd. My sister cried the whole time after that, but I could barely hear her over all the shouting and music.

Father bought some papers from the government. He promised they will turn into money later. Mother pointed out the older school girls in their white dresses and told me I would get to march in the parade like that one day.

Monday, September 30, 1918

The teacher let us play outside today because the weather was so nice. We were all talking about the parade, but Dr. Botkin’s son said we were stupid for going because of the flu. That made one of my friends cry, so the teacher made him go inside and leave us alone.

My brother and I played cards this evening. I had never won before, but I won twice. He let me gloat for a while, and he didn’t even try to stop me. He looked sad and tired, so I spent the rest of the evening telling him stories about princes and dragons and bugs to cheer him up. He fell asleep after a while. I couldn’t wake him up, so I covered him in his favorite blanket and left him on the couch.

Tuesday, October 1, 1918

They came for my brother.  

I woke up when the men in masks knocked on the door. Father helped them carry my brother and put him in a wagon, wrapped in his blanket. I couldn’t see his face. When I asked where he was going, Father just yelled until I stopped asking. Mother locked herself in her room, and I could hear her praying and coughing through the walls.

Father didn’t let me go to school. I sat by the window with my sister waiting for the men to bring my brother back, but I only saw more men taking more people with blankets out of our neighbors’ homes.

When the hospital wagon rolled by in the afternoon, Father asked if they would take Mother with them. The driver said there was no room at the hospital and kept the horses moving.

In the evening, I could hear horses and wagons on the street and our neighbors’ shouting and crying, but Father just shook his head when I asked what was happening. He said I should say my prayers, but we haven’t been to church for so long, I don’t remember them.

My sister has been so quiet since my brother left. She didn’t want to eat today. I miss my brother, too, but I still ate supper. Tonight, I’m snuggling up with my sister in her bed. Maybe she’ll feel better tomorrow. She’s so warm.

Thursday, October 3, 1918

They came for Mother.

She hadn’t left her room since my brother left, and Father wouldn’t let me inside to see her. I had to do all the cooking and cleaning, but I wasn’t very good at it. I could barely reach the stove, and I burned myself twice. Father shouted at me to be quiet when I cried, but he stopped when blood started pouring out of his nose.

When the men took Mother away this morning, Father locked himself in the room where she had been. He never answered when I asked questions through the door.

One of the good Sisters from St. Agatha’s knocked, and she asked if we needed anything when I answered. I asked her if she could help me remember my prayers so I could say them and make Father happy. The Sister only stayed for a few minutes, then she went to visit my neighbors.

I watched through the window for most of the day. Down the street, I could see my schoolmate’s house. Her mother had been standing in the yard earlier, but I could see her lying down next to the street. She wasn’t moving.

My sister laid in bed all day coughing. She didn’t even cry when I told her that Mother had gone. But I did.

Sunday, October 6, 1918

They came for my sister.

I knew they were coming because she has been still for two days. The bed we shared was cold, and she didn’t respond when I tried to snuggle up next to her. I have been sleeping on the kitchen floor now. Lying next to her and not hearing her breathing was too hard.

Father watched them take her away, but he didn’t look at me at all before he went back into the room and locked the door. I could hear him coughing and speaking quietly. He was talking to Mother as though she were in the room with him.

I spent the day at the window, watching the men take more people away. The road was blocked on one end by big wooden boxes. There were shapes covered in blankets next to them. I saw a hand sticking out of a blanket, and I made myself look away. My schoolmate’s mother is still lying by the street. No one has given her a blanket.

I’ll stay by the window to sleep because I don’t want to go back into my room. There are too many flies, and I miss my sister.

Friday, October 11, 1918

They came for Father.

He had been coughing since my sister left, but finally he stopped. I don’t remember exactly when. It was a few days ago. Someone must have complained about the smell, but I hadn’t noticed. The house smelled like the street outside, and I was accustomed to it by now.

I thought they’d take me, too, but the men who took Father left me alone. One looked at me with kindness and offered a short prayer, then he closed the door behind him.

There is nothing left to cook, not since the day before yesterday. The food I left at Father’s door is covered with bugs. At first, I was hungry, but I’m not anymore.

Saturday, October 12, 1918

I’m alone now. When I cough, there’s blood. Everything hurts.

They’ll come for me next.

February 10, 2021 03:08

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

23 comments

Michael Boquet
19:15 Feb 19, 2021

Great story. Loved the journal entry format. I also love the sense of tension as each family member succumbs to the Spanish Flu. Congrats on getting shortlisted.

Reply

Amanda Fox
23:55 Feb 19, 2021

I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment - thank you!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Autumn Shah
00:26 Feb 27, 2021

Loved this! Full of tension and heartbreak, and a well-executed ending. Congratulations on making the shortlist!

Reply

Amanda Fox
03:16 Feb 27, 2021

Thank you for reading and your kind words :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Holly Fister
18:09 Feb 24, 2021

Whew, that was intense. Well done and congrats on the shortlist! Hearing it from a kid’s perspective through journal entries as she listed each family member dying really increased the horror of it.

Reply

Amanda Fox
22:18 Feb 24, 2021

I really appreciate you checking it out - some of the firsthand accounts I read from the pandemic made this story seem like a delightful romp.

Reply

Holly Fister
22:25 Feb 24, 2021

Wow, I need to read more about the Spanish Flu. I’m so thankful for modern medicine!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Josh C
08:36 Feb 21, 2021

Jesus, I was not prepared for that. I nearly broke down when you described how warm the sister was in bed, knowing the heartbreak that was going to come. By the end of it I almost felt like our narrator should be thankful that they'll come for her, I wouldn't want to be the last one left. A very topical story and beautifully done, well deserved to be on the shortlist.

Reply

Amanda Fox
18:07 Feb 21, 2021

Wow, I really appreciate your comments. I think that was the saddest part of the story.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Kathleen Whalen
21:36 Feb 20, 2021

This is a great piece of writing. It definitely captured the horrors experienced from the 1918 Pandemic. Congrats! Good work.

Reply

Amanda Fox
18:07 Feb 21, 2021

Thank you for reading =]

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Gary Crawford
14:27 Feb 20, 2021

Excellent story and presentation. Historically speaking, I was surprised to read of the parade held on September 28, a "welcome home" type of event, when the war wasn't officially over until November 11. Well done.

Reply

Amanda Fox
18:36 Feb 20, 2021

The parade was to promote the purchase of war bonds, and despite the warnings about the flu, the City officials decided to hold it anyway. It was a really awful time in Philadelphia.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Leane Cornwell
17:20 Feb 19, 2021

Your story touched me deeply. You nicely captured a child's point of view and her lack of understanding the chaotic world of pandemic.

Reply

Amanda Fox
18:20 Feb 19, 2021

Thank you so much!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Mustang Patty
11:44 Feb 16, 2021

Oh my. You've managed to capture your main character's thoughts well. Hard to believe how eerily real if felt in the Times of COVID. Thank you for sharing,

Reply

Amanda Fox
14:02 Feb 16, 2021

Thank you! When I was researching the 1918 pandemic, the parallels were just shocking.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
23:38 Feb 11, 2021

Fawn! I loved this. People forget the "Spanish Flu" (which probably started in Missouri) was pure medieval hell (especially in Philadelphia -- "Bring out your dead" type of plague." Great interplay with the Niemöller poem, usually attributed to WW2 (I believe?) Intelligent. Thoughtful. Well done :)

Reply

Amanda Fox
20:46 Feb 15, 2021

Thank you! I really appreciate your comments. I was absolutely thinking of the Niemöller poem, but you're right in that it's not quite the right era.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Angel {Readsy}
04:36 Apr 06, 2021

“You Are The World's Best story writer

Reply

Show 0 replies

Love your story so much...glad you got shortlisted.

Reply

Amanda Fox
16:26 Feb 19, 2021

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it =]

Reply

Of course! :<)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.