Hometown Hero [A Carving the Way book]

Musician to Writer

May 14, 1775

I once wanted to be a musician. I studied music. All of my family believed I would do great things with sound. 

Then the war came. Everything changed.

Sarah was right. The dissent in the colonies turned quickly in the past ten years to war. We heard just two weeks ago of what happened in Lexington and Concord. News of the British defeat has kept the Patriots boisterous and have left the Loyalists shaken. My father's mouth was shut for the first time at dinner. Uncle Philip looked pleased.

Prospero's work has slowed. The articles he used to rip off—one a day—have slowed to one a week. My father believes it is because he is seeing sense. Uncle Philip thinks it's the Loyalists antagonizing him.

The search for Prospero is frantic. The Loyalists are determined to have him hung. They are convinced Patriots are housing him but can find no writer with his style anywhere. But I fear they soon may start looking within Loyalist houses.

Patriots everywhere are being questioned—sometimes killed. British forces ransack Patriot houses every day. 

We now house British troops. We eat dinner in silence. We spend ninety percent of our time looking over our shoulders in fear.

Prospero faces these conditions, I am sure. He must be careful when he writes, for there are British soldiers loitering about his home, a pair of eyes on him and looking over his shoulder at all times.