Chapter 1

A Peaceful Easter

            As the mist from the all-night rain rose from the ground, the moon’s aura glowed. In Dayton, Ohio, Easter Sunday went as smooth and peaceful as the sound of the flowing river.

On McPherson Avenue, a house was filled with joy. This was the house of Charles Pfieffer. It was a modest house, since he was the only one living in it. It was a one-story; not including the attic, with only a living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom.

His family had come over to cook Easter dinner and celebrate the holiday. In the kitchen were two sisters, Mary, the oldest, and Anya. Mary was sixteen and was attempting to cook a ham, while Anya was standing in the kitchen, trying not to be a burden. Off to the side was their aunt, Jacqueline Pfieffer, sitting at the kitchen table with a drink in her hand.

Lounging in a red velvet armchair was the owner of the house, Grandpa Charles, or “Whitey” as he preferred to be called. Of course he was yelling into his “HAM” radio (Charles was one of the first Daytonians to own and operate an amateur radio.) He believed that another amateur radio operator was trying to sell him X-ray glasses, while his best friend William Wilson was trying to calm him down. William was a Negro slave who was rescued by Whitey during the Civil War. William’s grandson, Michael Wilson, was also in the room, not paying so much attention to the quarrel happening in front of him, but was paying attention to the activity in the kitchen.

As a puff of smoke from the oven came out of the kitchen, everyone heard Mary wheeze, “Time for dinner!”

“Be right there!” William shouted, finally starting to calm Whitey down.

            As the family sat around the table eating their Easter dinner, the sound of clanking silverware, and the smell of lightly burned ham engulfed the room. Whitey made his family leave his radio on when he overheard some sort of government radio communication: “Due to the high amount of rain we have had over the past few days, the water level on the Great Miami River has risen to a dangerous level. We are expecting more rain to come, but there is nothing to worry about, because Dayton’s levees are strong and high enough, and should withhold anything Mother Nature brings.”

            Whitey thought for several seconds and then decided to speak up, “I don’t want anyone here going near the river for the next few days. The water is getting high.”

            “What! Am I just supposed to quit my job now because you won’t let me cross the river?” Jacqueline exclaimed. “And besides, our levees will keep us dry.”

            “Yeah,” Mary said. “Even if the water is a little high, that’s what bridges are for Grandpa.”

            “Well, okay, but just stay safe,” Whitey agreed. “I don’t know who to trust on these new radio contraptions…”

            As the table was being cleared by Whitey and William, the dishes were put into piles for Mary and Jacqueline to wash.

            “Does anyone know where Anya is?” Mary asked. “She’s supposed to be here with me helping wash dishes.”

            “And where’s Michael?” he wondered.

            “They’ll be home soon, I’m sure.” said Whitey.

            “Well, Mr. Wilson, you best be getting home,” Mary interrupted, making a gesture towards the door. “It’s getting pretty late.”

            “Well, I suppose you’re right,” William said softly, grabbing his hat and over coat on the way out. “And how many times will I have to tell you Mary, call me Pappy Wilson.”

            “I’ll be sure to do that next time,” Mary said, as she was closing the door behind him.

            By now Jacqueline had finished with the dishes and her drink for that matter, and was sleeping on the chair. Whitey was also out cold from the huge meal and was snoring loudly.

***

            “Jack! How many times must I tell you?” Allystair hollered at his six year old son. “You must sit down and read your book. We’re at the library, son. Stop running around and acting like an imbecile.”

            “But pa,” Jack whined.

            “No! I said sit down!”

            Jack sat down in a seat across from his father, Allystair Wagner. Allystair was too busy filing his books to even look up at his son. He was the librarian at the Dayton Public Library, and father of Jacqueline Pfeiffer’s son. The two sat at the table quietly reading, until the library closed.

            “Okay, son,” Allystair whispered. “That’s enough reading. We best be getting home. When we get there I want you to run off to bed.”

            Allystair locked up the library and grabbed his son’s shoulder. They walked quietly back to their house in the rain that had started. They passed a man sitting on the side of the street. He was holding his hands out. Allystair gave him a few pieces off change, not even looking down. In the distance Jack heard the sound of galloping horses, and held close to his father. He kept his eyes closed in hopes of not seeing the frightening beasts.

When they reached their front door Allystair fumbled with his keys and opened the door. Nodding toward Jack, he said, “Now off to bed with you.”

            Jack, not saying a word, ran up the stairs to his little room. He tucked himself tightly into his bed, and closed his aching eyes.

***

            William had made his way into town across the Main Street Bridge. The rain had picked up by now. It was silent that night, but not for William. Each raindrop that hit the ground sounding like a dog’s running paws on the ground, from his past. The horrid days of slavery are now behind him, but it has scarred him like the whip marks on his back. William crossed the Third Street Bridge, and turned the corner to Bank Street, where he owns a bar. He closed in on the steps to his bar and pulled out his keys. He unlocked the door and entered. He walked across the main floor toward the steps to his upstairs apartment. He climbed the steps, kicked off his shoes, and walked over to his bed in a room that smelled musty from the smoke of the bar. He rolled over and tried to sleep, but couldn’t because he was thinking about Michael being out so late.

 ***

            At Whitey’s house snoring was abundant; Jacqueline Pfeiffer’s chainsaw-like racket being the loudest. Mary, being the only one in the house still awake, tiptoed across the room over to the closet and pulled out two blankets. She crossed back over the room and placed one on Jacqueline and the other on Whitey. Tired herself, Mary went into the bedroom and pulled off her shoes. She lay back on the bed, knowing she had to go to school in the morning. She shut her drooping eye lids, and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2

Rain, rain, go away…

The next day, even though it was raining, Jacqueline decided to go to work. She scrambled some eggs, grabbed an umbrella, and headed for Sprague Street. She decided she was going to stop by Willy’s Pub to get some coffee first. Once she finished her coffee, she headed up Main Street so she could catch a streetcar to NCR.

            When Jacqueline got to work she noticed a pink slip on her desk. Hmm… she thought to herself, there must be some mistake…I haven’t done anything to deserve this!

            Her boss, Joseph Shackleford, quietly walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

            “Oh, Gosh! You startled me!” Jacqueline cried.

            “I’m sorry” Joseph stated.

            “That’s okay, but why are you firing me?” Jacqueline pleaded.

            “Well, we at NCR, and Mr. Patterson, do not feel comfortable having you as one of our top secretaries because it has been reported that you have a drinking problem. We think it is interfering with your work and our reputation as a wholesome company.” Joseph said.

            “Well if that’s the way you want it, don’t expect to see me again…thank you very much!” Jacqueline exclaimed angrily. On that note she trudged out of NCR and walked to Main Street. She caught a streetcar to Sprague Street, and stomped fiercely into Willy’s Pub.        

            “Well, Hello there, Jacqueline! Back so soon? Would you like the usual?

            “Absolutely, yes...considering the fact that I’ve just been fired!” Jacqueline said in an upset tone. “My boss told me that Mr. Patterson does not feel comfortable having me as an executive secretary at NCR.’” “They think I have a drinking problem.” Jacqueline said in a mocking tone. “I don’t know what he’s talking about. I don’t have any such thing as a ‘drinking problem!’” Jacqueline said this as she took the first sip of her martini…

***

Anya had come home about an hour after she and Michael left to go walking around town. Anya towel-dried her hair and changed out of her wet clothes. Then she and her sister started working on their math homework. “This is a waste of time!” Anya said in a frustrated tone. “When on Earth are we ever going to have to use Geometry? I know for a fact that Jacqueline doesn’t have to use it! In fact, she probably hasn’t used it in her entire life!” Mary exclaimed.

            “You’re probably right, but hopefully, we’ll actually make something of our lives, instead of becoming an alcoh…well, you know…” Anya replied, stopping short of saying what Jacqueline really was.

***

            Monday evening, Mary finally finished her book for English class. She had been reading Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. “Oh! That was an excellent book! I’ve never read anything written so well!” Mary said.

            Mary noticed a neighbor was outside and was yelling about the Miami River rising. “Won’t that fool ever be quiet about the water rising?” she said to Whitey. Whitey opened the window and yelled out to him, “You’ve already told us a dozen times! It’s never rained enough to actually be a terrible flood. In fact, the river floods downtown about every other year. What makes you think it’s going to be a big flood this time?”

            “Grandpa, quit yelling at him. He isn’t going to stop.” Mary blurted in an annoyed tone.

 ***

            Mary decided to sit by the window to watch for Jacqueline. “Wow! It is really starting to rain hard! I’m beginning to think our loony neighbor is right.”

             “We’ll keep an eye on things, honey.” Grandpa replied.

            About fifteen minutes later, Jacqueline stumbled through the front door soaking wet. “Oh Lord, I just walked home over Main St. Bridge, and it sure looked like the water was rising,” Jacqueline said as she slurred her words a little.

“I’m tired. I’m going to go to lie down on the sofa,” Jacqueline said as she dozed off along with Grandpa Whitey.

Chapter 3

Head for the attic

The ear-splitting noise of clanging bells and hollering whistles awakened the dozing family before daylight broke.

“I told you so!” Jacqueline spat suddenly. She was trying so very hard to steady herself.  She pulled her blanket tighter around her shivering body.  Frightened by the noise, Anya hurried to the window and gazed out, suppressing a small gasp. The street before her was sheeted with rainwater – and the water was pouring out of the backed-up gutters as well. The water was pooling in their front yard and was moving its way toward the small front porch. Mary followed Anya to the window. “I don’t think it will get much higher then this – but if it does – our rugs could be ruined.” Mary placed her warm hand on the square of Anya’s back. Even though she was just as nervous, she didn’t show it to Anya.

“Those bells are giving me a headache!” Jacqueline exclaimed, as she slowly lumbered toward the sofa in the front parlor.

“That’s not the only thing that’s giving her a headache.” Whitey mused with a slight chuckle, smiling slyly toward the girls as they pulled their attention away from the window.

“You can’t see the road.” Anya said with eyes full of fear.

Mary bit her lip and looked toward Jacqueline, who had closed her eyes again and was sleeping silently, curled up on the armchair. Whitey followed the girls to the window a few minutes later. He frowned as he stared out of the front window.

“We need to get our belongings up into the second floor.” Whitey said with quickening alarm. I think this flood is going to be different than the others. Come on, girls. There’s work to be done.”

***

Joseph fluttered his eyes open and glanced over at his clock – 5:35 A.M. Groaning, he trudged to his closet and pulled out a fine business suit tossing it lazily onto his bed. He then bent over to grab his well-polished loafers. He hastily pulled on his slacks, buttoned up his shirt, shoved his feet into a pair of long socks and finally slipped on his shoes. He worked his way into the bathroom, grabbing his hair tonic and ran it through his hair, slicking it all back in one motion. He grabbed at his overcoat from a hook on the wall and slung it around his arms. He picked up his suitcase and left the house promptly, slamming the door shut behind him.

Joseph growled in frustration as he stared at the rain pouring down before him – little bullets of rain impacting the earth and exploding on contact. He buttoned up his coat and reopened his front door, grabbing an umbrella that rested on its side by the doorway. He closed his door again and opened the umbrella, and caught the trolley for work.

***

The Pfeiffer’s hustled, hauling up what they had. Jacqueline was still sleeping soundly in the front parlor. They didn’t have much food – they had nearly cleared their cupboards on Sunday night, in celebration of Easter. They did, however, manage to find half a loaf of bread, three jars of canned peaches, and leftover salted ham.

“The water… It’s in the house!” Anya exclaimed, dropping the jar of asparagus she was just inspecting. The glass shattered on the wooden kitchen floor as the water began seeping through the front door jamb, drenching the carpet.

“Mary, go wake your aunt. Or, at least try to.” Whitey ordered, while making a trip up the stairs with a few kitchen chairs in his hands.  Mary rushed to Jacqueline’s side, shaking her shoulder vigorously. Jacqueline awoke – groggy.

“What? What’s going on?” Jacqueline mumbled, yawning wide.

“The water’s in the house. You need to get up and help us move things up to the attic.” Mary explained quickly, looking down at her feet as they sunk down into the soggy rug. Jacqueline rose and quickly walked to the kitchen to see what needed to be done. She grimaced at the feeling of wet on her bare feet.

 Anya, breathing heavily, walked briskly to the narrow linen closet. She opened it, grabbed out all their blankets and trudged up the steps. At the top of the steps she noticed Whitey looking at some old photographs. “I’ll just set these here…” Anya said quietly, peeking at a photograph as she walked past him.

The photo was of an old woman smiling softly, kneeling by her garden. Dirt smudged her wrinkly face, and yet there was a sense of pleasure – of true happiness. Instantly she knew this was her grandmother.

“What happened to her?” Anya whispered, almost afraid to break the silence in the attic.

“She got Influenza…” He started, tucking the photograph into his side pocket.

“I wish I had a chance to meet her.” Anya tried, turning to start down the stairs again.

“She would be the sweetest woman you’d ever meet.” Shaking his head, he got back to work – pushing the furniture that was already up in the attic to the far corner so they could fit more in.

Back downstairs, Aunt Jackie and Mary were picking up the drenched rugs and threw them onto the counters, as well as other objects that were salvageable. Anya sighed, swallowing down the deep fear that began to rise in her throat.

“Poor Whitey doesn’t have a lot of food.” Aunt Jackie said mostly to herself as she raided his cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. She was now up and moving around quickly. Mary, over all, seemed at ease, even though the rainwater was now pouring from underneath door.

“Ok, so…we’ve gathered as much food and furniture as we can…and we’ve saved one rug. Is there anything else we need to move from downstairs?” Anya asked Mary took a good slow glance around the kitchen. She stepped into the front parlor, and looked once more.

“We should get the armchair and loveseat from the parlor up there too.”

Jackie nodded to Mary, and they both went into the front parlor. The three girls grabbed the furniture and took it up to the second floor.

***

Over at Willy’s Pub, Michael and William were busy hauling up their own valuable possessions. They too planned to simply walk out to higher ground once they saved as much as they could from the bar. Confused customers stayed where they were – the 5 A.M. ‘early-bird’ breakfast crowd didn’t want to do much but wait it out. Except for the businessmen who came there for coffee early morning, most of the patrons understood that they needed to help Willy and take food and “supplies” to the second floor.

“Thank ya’ll, fine gentlemen. You best be on your way before you can’t no mo’. “William shooed them off, then turned to his grandson.

“Bring up a big old steamer trunk from the backroom.” He whispered, patting his grandson on the back.

“But Grandpa, you’ve always told me not to go in that room…”

“Just do it. Today is the day you break the rules.”

He nudged him and watched as Michael retrieved an old trunk. William nodded to his grandson and watched him take his most valued possession up the stairs. Water had already begun to seep through the cracks of the bar doors, just as it did over at the Pfeiffer’s.

***

Joseph walked promptly through the front doors of NCR, past the front desk and into the side doors. He slowed his pace as he neared his office. He rounded the corner and hung up his jacket and umbrella.