A Rusty and Janie Summer Project
(A fictionalized short story inspired by some actual events.)
A Short Story for the Fourth-of-July
By
Rosemary
(*The author registered the original version of this story,
and the original title, "A Rusty and Janie Project,"
at the U. S. Copyright Office in 2023 in,
“The Adventures of Rusty and Janie,” Chapter 3.)
It was mid-June during the early 1970's, and Rusty and Janie were
enjoying the start of their summer vacation. The school year had ended
a few weeks earlier.
Rusty was thumbing through the local paper, when suddenly
a brightly decorated community notice popped out of the publication.
The black block letters flew off this festively colored
announcement, about the upcoming Fourth-of-July parade.
It was scheduled to take place on the main street in the
center of town.
Immediately, Rusty tore the page out of the weekly paper
and began to scurry upstairs in the direction of her twin sister’s
bedroom.
Once she arrived, she held up the leaflet.
Rusty paused for a moment to catch her breath. Then the
excitement of her idea had taken hold of her, and she
began to tell her sibling about her plan!
"Hey, Janie since we are not going to camp this year,
we have a whole summer of free time. Look what arrived
in the paper today," Rusty expressed with a childlike
enthusiasm, as she held up the flyer so her sister could read it.
Janie began to review it. Rusty noticed that her sister was going
to need some encouragement about her idea.
"Rusty, are you saying that we should make a fancy float for the parade?"
Janie asked.
"You bet! The first prize is seventy-five dollars. Why not?"
Rusty replied with enthusiasm.
“We do not know anything about making something like this," Janie
countered with puzzlement.
Rusty grabbed it out of her twin's hand and pointed
to the eligibility area of the document.
"Neither does anyone else. Look, there is a special contest just
for kids, our age. It says here, all participants need to be between
the ages of eight to twelve."
Come on Janie, it will be fun. We can use stuff we find around
the house," Rusty pleaded.
Janie hesitated for a moment before she replied.
"Well Rusty, I don't know.” she answered with doubt.
"Look, I'm sure that all of the other kids know as little as we do.
It states in the rules that everyone is expected to do this on their own.
That's probably why they have a contest just for our age group,"
Rusty explained.
"Well, let's ask Mom and Dad before we decide," Janie suggested
unenthusiastically.
Rusty and Janie approached the subject after dinner.
"Hey Mom, Dad, we got this flyer in the paper today. They are
having a contest for the upcoming parade for kids our age to make
floats. All the contestants will be able to walk in the parade
before the actual judging takes place. We need one parent's signature
on this form," Rusty explained, as she pushed the paper towards
their parents while holding a black pen in her hands.
"Let me put on my reading glasses," their mother mumbled as
she grabbed her eyewear off the table.
“You know Margaret, this seems as though it would be a nice
learning experience for them. It appears they are encouraging
the kids to be creative and resourceful on their own. I think it is
a wonderful opportunity," their father said with a positive candor.
“It sounds like a nice idea,” she replied.
Then swiftly, their father's facial expression and tone
took a serious tone, as he turned towards his two young
daughters.
"Girls the instructions state, that this is a project you both will
have to develop on your own. This means that neither your mother,
nor I, will be allowed to assemble this decorative float for you. It states
here that we can encourage and assist, but all the participants are expected
to create their own product. If you two are willing to work on
this endeavor yourselves, then I will sign this form which will
provide the committee with our consent. Do we have an
understanding?" their father asked.
Then their mother added her own set of rules.
"I am willing to go along with this, as long that you do not
take or borrow anyone else's property without asking first.
You clean up any mess you make each day. You both wear
the smocks I made for you that you wore in your art class at school,
when you are working on your project. Lastly, it will always
remain in the basement until the event takes place."
"Are we in agreement girls?" as their father asked.
"Sure, we have a deal!" Rusty pledged on behalf of both she
and her sister.
The next morning, Rusty felt a nudge on her left shoulder
while she was engulfed in a wonderful slumber.
“Rusty, wake up we need to get started," Janie whispered.
Reluctantly, Rusty sat up still half asleep. She rubbed her
eyes, as she shoved her carrot-colored ringlets off her forehead.
“Okay, I'm up," Rusty replied groggily.
"Let's get dressed so we can get started," Janie instructed.
They both entered the kitchen with a fierce determination.
"Hi girls, I have pancakes, scrambled eggs with sausages, fresh fruit,
and milk, here for you," their mother lovingly offered.
“Thanks Mom, we are going to need to eat quickly so we
can get started," Janie answered eagerly.
"Ladies, your project can wait. I want you both to eat a nourishing
breakfast,” she replied devotedly.
After they consumed their early morning meal, they jolted
down to the basement energized, to search for items to begin
their latest venture.
They came across two pairs of their roller-skates which seemed
to be very sturdy.
"Hey Janie, look" Rusty shouted with enthusiasm as she pointed
to a big and empty old tan cardboard box.
"Let's ask Mom if we can use this," Janie recommended.
They both ran up the long staircase and headed towards the kitchen.
"Hey Mom, can we use this box for our wagon?" Janie
asked politely.
"Sure girls, I don't see why not," their mom expressed
as she nodded her head in approval.
"Also, we are going to use our roller skates for this project,"
Rusty mentioned.
"That's your choice since the skates actually belong to
the two of you. Any items which are yours, you do not need
to obtain our permission. Only things which do not belong to you,"
their mother answered with a tone of fairness.
With their parental stamp of authorization regarding the large box
they found, they carried it down the steps and began to construct
their masterpiece.
They decided to attach the leather straps which were
connected to their metal roller-skates, underneath the
bottom of the box. They carefully positioned each one
underneath the carton.
They decided to poke holes at each end, to secure
the thick leather straps tightly by both sides. This way,
their wagon could glide more smoothly. To their surprise
this idea worked, as they were able to physically move
it with ease.
However, they still needed to have some type of a rope to
pull it as they were expected to walk in the parade.
"I know," Rusty shouted as she quickly ran upstairs to
search for the answer.
Rusty came back holding their jump ropes.
"We can use these" the little girl contended as she handed Janie
one of the decorative cloth cords.
They were much thicker than string. They prudently carved out
double openings at the front end of their creation, so they could
each pull it as they marched in the spectacle.
At the end of the afternoon, they heard a knock at the basement door.
"Hi kiddies, may I come in and see what my two favorite inventors
made today?" their father inquired good naturedly.
"Sure Dad,” they both answered.
As he walked carefully down the stairs, he noticed that both girls
were taking turns pulling their cart. They wanted to be certain that
it would be sturdy enough for the upcoming event.
"Look Dad, we figured out how to add wheels and pull the cart,"
Janie boasted.
Their father was truly impressed.
"Wow, you mean you two figured this out all on your own?" he
asked as he stood standing in astonishment.
"Yep, we used our skates for wheels, and tied the straps
from them to the bottom of the box. Our jump robes will help
us pull it.
Their father inspected their latest venture to ensure it
would be sturdy enough to withstand the upcoming event.
"Well kids, this was a very clever idea" he responded
with a complimentary tone.
He then added, "I think it is great that you both created this
solely through your own efforts. It looks like the hardest hurdle
of your project has been figured out. Now all you need to, is to
decide on what items you are going to place inside, and how you
will decorate the outside of it.
He then patted them both on the head and added an
encouraging parting comment.
"Keep up the good work" their dad stated supportively, before
he departed towards his den.
"Well Rusty, he is right. Now we must decide how
we are going to decorate the outside, and what
what we want to place on the inside.
Unexpectedly, Rusty came up with a new concept.
"Why don't we use our paint sets to decorate the outside
and fill the inside with all of our favorite toys. We can
use our stuffed animals and cloth dolls because they
are the lightest," Rusty advised.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Janie happily agreed.
Over the next several weeks their mission was beginning
to really take shape. They decided to paint red, white, and blue,
stripes on the sides of their wagon in honor of the occasion.
They made certain that the lettering was painted as neatly as possible.
Finally, their entry was finished.
They invited their parents downstairs to unveil their moving exhibit.
"Oh, how darling!" their mother exclaimed.
"Wow, your cart is adorable," their dad quickly chimed in.
He then added, “I am the proudest of the fact that you girls
constructed it all by yourselves."
"Does it look professional?" Janie asked with a certain immaturity.
"Well, no, it looks like something which was built by two very talented
and creative children."
He then paused for a moment and continued to express his thoughts.
"It is not supposed to look professional. It should appear as if it was made by
the actual participants in the contest. Which it does. You both did a terrific job,
and we are very proud of you!" their father praised.
The day of the event had finally arrived. The twins decided to wear their
white summer outfits so their display float would be more noticeable.
Their brightly tinted sneakers complimented their freshly ironed attire.
Just before the parade, their dad took some photographs of them both
standing alongside their festive-looking float. Soft, pink-colored headbands
were adorned in each sister's thick mass of curly hair.
"Now ladies, try to stay in the shade as much as possible, so you
won't come home with sunburn," their mother warned.
After their home photo session, their father carefully picked
up their newly constructed cart and placed it into the back of their
family's blue station wagon.
Before he turned the key into the ignition, their dad positioned
himself, so he could face his kids sitting excitedly in the backseat.
"Girls, I think your float looks great and your Mother and I are both
cheering for you. However, there will be many of them entered into
the contest. So just keep in mind how pleased your Mom and I are
of your determination, dedicated effort, and originality," he stressed proudly.
He then turned the key into the ignition and drove out of their circular driveway.
Upon arrival, their dad lifted their cart out of the back and placed it
gently on the ground. It was not that big, and much to their
father's relief wasn't very heavy.
The atmosphere in the center of this small village was quite
a celebratory vision. Mostly everyone was wearing their own
self-styled outfits with the colors of the holiday.
The center of town was decorated with ribbons, signs, and other
reminders of the Fourth-of July.
Soda pop, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, and snow cones,
were being served in large quantities.
"Dad, can we have a cotton candy later," Rusty asked.
"Sure, after the event," he promised.
As they all walked towards the entry site for their division, they
were shocked at what they began to see.
They were horrified that most of the other parade floats for
the children's division were much larger and more sophisticated.
Some of them appeared to have been expertly crafted.
It was obvious that they required skills which went far
beyond the capabilities of the average child in their age category.
Some of them appeared to have been bought, and expensively
manufactured. It appeared that the money spent for these floats
clearly exceeded any cash prize being offered in the contest.
"We are probably in the wrong division. Let me walk up to one
of the people in-charge to see where the children's division is," their
father mentioned.
"Yes, it is obvious we are in the wrong section," their mother agreed.
"Excuse me; I think we are in the wrong division. We are looking for
the area for the younger participants between the ages of eight to twelve,"
their dad inquired courteously.
"No, you are in the right place," the official happily replied.
"Oh, I made this assumption because most of the other displays appeared
to have been created by adults or outside companies," he answered in defeat.
“Yes, I know exactly what you mean. We made it very clear that the entries
were supposed to be constructed by the kids themselves. Unfortunately, every
year we state this in the guidelines, and each season they are ignored by
the parents. There is nothing we can do because there are simply too many
to disqualify,” the official humbly mentioned with an apologetic tone.
"Okay, well thanks for the info. I'll let my children know they are standing
in the right place, their dad respectfully replied, as he began to walk over
to where his family was gathered.
Feeling a sense of dread, he drew a huge breath and approached his two
young daughters.
"Girls, it appears this is the correct location. Unfortunately, some of the
families did not follow the rules and had their floats made by adults,
or expensive companies. I know this is disappointing after all of the hard work
you both invested into this project. But why don't you join the parade and
have fun showing off your work" their father gently advised.
"Yeah girls, let's all try to have a pleasant day," their mother suggested cheerfully.
During the pageant, Rusty and Janie tried their best to smile as they wheeled
their cart down the street.
They felt nearly invisible marching alongside the more spectacular ones
but tried to make the best of the situation.
After the parade, the twins decided to not even bother to participate in
the contest, although their folks tried to encourage them otherwise.
They knew there was no chance they could possibly receive a prize.
As expected, all the winners had entered more sophisticated and
professionally crafted exhibits.
As they walked slowly towards their family's car in defeat, their parents
were leaning against the vehicle glumly. They already knew what to expect.
Their father move towards them and began to offer his words of understanding.
“I know you both are disheartened with what happened here today. But in
my opinion, the recipients of the prizes really did not accomplish anything.
The whole concept of this undertaking was to encourage all the youngsters
to develop problem solving skills, team effort, as well as to use their innovation
and creativity.”
The then paused before continuing with his thoughts.
“Your Mom and I are still happy by the fact that the two of you figured
out how to create a wagon by using a cardboard box, roller skates, and
jump ropes. This was very clever. We also noticed that you girls worked
together well as a team and did not wind-up fighting, which initially
we thought would happen," he said realistically.
With that, their dad physically transported their cart around the
automobile and placed into the back.
Although disappointed, the twins decided that they would make good
use out of their large decorative box. They agreed they would remove the
roller skates and jump ropes and use it as a toy chest.
They had worked too hard to simply throw it out. They were determined
to use it for something else.
They still had some holiday celebrating to do.
During the early evening hours, they all drove to the beach and
watched the fireworks.
The variety of sparkling colors in the sky helped the twins forget, at least
for a few hours, the frustrating experience from earlier that day.
It did not seem to dampen their appetites as they happily enjoyed eating
hot dogs, which were gulped down with grape sodas.
Of course, no ‘Fourth of July’ would be complete without red, white,
and blue snow cones, along with the cotton candy, their father had initially
promised them.
The twins were both a bit too young, and immature, to grasp the full
meaning of what their father had explained to them after the contest.
This would be a lesson they came to understand and appreciate
as they grew a little older.
In the meantime, they were both relishing in their own
sense of accomplishment.
Author’s note:
This fictionalized short story which was inspired by some
actual events, is dedicated in loving memory of the author's
parents and older sister.
