Happy Fourth of July! Here's a fun piece of flash fiction to celebrate the 232nd birthday of our great nation, and the 3rd birthday of our great website!
****
"Oh, Benny. What does this one do?" the young woman asked with a slight quaver to her voice.
"Well, when hooked up to the Leyden jar, which stores electricity, this little device, which I call the lightning rod, starts to hum. As I apply more current by adding more Leyden jars, it hums louder. Here. Let me show you," the middle-aged man said. The woman watched with fascination as the man connected wires from jars of water and metal foil to a ten-inch glass rod that had a metal box attached to one end.
The woman startled when he connected the last wire and the rod began vibrating. "But, Benny, what ever is it good for?"
With a grin, Ben Franklin said, "Here. Let me show you."
Originally published July, 2008