Excellent Entry also to #furiousfiction in Australia The Great Cake Event by Dick Waters Revelation Flash writing prompt entry Artwork by VMarguarite at FanArtReview.com

Concord Monitor July 5, 1976 “Life Free or Die” Proudly Serving Concord, New Hampshire for Over 150 Years   Big ‘Mistake’ Leads to Bigger Celebration! Reporting – Dick Waters Yesterday, during America’s celebration of its 200th birthday, many in Concord will have even more memories. Fortunately, those 200 candles weren’t lit. Here’s the rest of the story – Neighbors near Chase Franklin’s Oak Hill Road farm had been concerned about what he might have been up to in his barn for weeks. The normally very open man became very seclusive and tight-lipped about his actions. Secretly they had been trying to observe his strange behavior and deliveries of building materials and late-night activities. The police had been alerted and they too were ready for anything disruptive. Well, everyone had enough waiting, and during the many bells, whistles, sirens, and horns yesterday, the police confronted Mr. Franklin. The Oak Hill Barn landmark will be better known now for what they found in the basement. The puzzle pieces finally fell into place early yesterday – He was building a giant birthday cake to celebrate the 200th anniversary. In the barn’s basement, he had built a twenty-foot diameter cake with bricks, thousands of them. In the center of the cake were two hundred metal stacks to simulate candles. Pictures are on page 20. This “Cake Event” has received national attention, leaving out the original neighborhood suspicions. The mayor of Concord has asked local, state, and national architects to create designs for keeping the barn and adding glass viewing to the cake. The cake could be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, but he believes it needs to remain where it’s currently located. During the interviews of Mr. Franklin, he indicated he was indeed a descendant of Benjamin Franklin, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was motivated to honor his ancestors and do something memorable for the occasion. He commented, “I might have gotten more than a little carried away!” As far as the neighbors go, they didn’t get to eat cake, which will be in their neighborhood for many years. It might be hard for someone to top this event when America reaches its 300th birthday, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. “Happy Birthday America!” Writing Prompt You just discovered that something you thought was true is, in fact, a lie. It could be a big or small thing, personal or widespread, good news or very bad news, based on real life or imagined. Tell us what it is and then you could talk about how you found out, the consequences of learning the truth, or anything related to this new-to-you revelation. Aim for a 500-ish word limit Author Notes Picture thanks to vmarguarite here on FanStory. Australia runs a monthly competition for a story against their criteria. The words this month were mistake, enough, and chase. The story had to be about someone building something. Google #furiousfiction to see what it is all about, but it ends this month in hours. It also had to be a meaningful date in history after May 1974. I thought this might be a suitable entry for this contest, but WHAT do I know?

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