The Big BangMy lesson about playing with fire was a hard one learned.
That one summer day so long ago was one of the longest days in my life. The morning was a normal one. The afternoon was when things started to heat up. That night was one I thoughtwould never end.
That morning was one just like any other summer day. The sun was bright and warm. We also had family in fromColorado. My Aunt and Uncle were there with my two cousins. They were planning on staying with us the entire summer.
Myparents had just installed a 4 1/2 foot above ground swimming pool for all of us to enjoy that summer. That afternoon every body was up and busy doing their own things. My brother and I were out in the neighborhood playing with our friends. When we came home for lunch my dad asked us to unload his truck and put everything in the shed.
My parents, aunt and uncle were leaving to go out for the evening. They were leaving us in the care of my cousinswho are several years older than us. After we had lunch and my parents had left, my brother and I started to unload the truck. I grabbed the first load and headed for the shed.
I was in the shed putting things away for about ten minutes. My brother was still not back there with another load. I went around the front of the house looking for him when I saw a flash. As I reached the driveway I saw my brother just as he was throwing another match on the driveway. When the matchhit the concrete a flare of fire leaped up about five foot and was gone just as fast as it appeared. I immediately forgot about unloading the truck and joined my brother.
He explained to me how it worked. He handed me a five-pound can of gunpowderand told me to pour a small pile out on the driveway. After I did and back away he tore out another match from the pack,struck it and threw it on the pile of powder. Again the flash leaped from the driveway. We continued this way, with mepouring and him throwing the match, until we were down to the second to last match. We had to figure out a way to continue before we were out of matches.
We had it. We noticed that when the powder had burned off the match wouldstill be laying there burning. My brother suggested that we simply pour some on the match. Without thinking it throughanother second, I tilted the can and began to pour the powder. Everything that happened after that was a blur. I rememberrunning backward as fast as I could, still holding onto the can.
I threw the can away from me just as it exploded. A blinding flash filled my head as a crushing boom emptied the air from my lungs. I fell to the ground and remember hearing, as clear as a bell, the metal ends of the canister bouncing off the driveway. When I got off the ground a split second later I was ina panic. I ran faster than I will probably ever again.
I didn’t know where I was headed but I had to get there fast. I endedup running into the house, down the hall to the bathroom. As I came into the bathroom I slipped on the rug and slid underneaththe sink. I looked down at myself for the first time and watched as several blisters appeared on my legs. After my neighbor and brother managed to calm me down they started to put medicine and creams all over me.
My parents showed up when they said they would and were completely stunned. My mother had a huge aloe vera plant thatthey broke apart and spread all over my legs. At the time of the explosion I was wearing a pair of shorts, a football type jersey,and a pair of tennis shoes. I suffered from first degree burns on my face and arms.
I wasn’t as lucky when it came to my legs. The blast had caused second and third degree burns that were mostly on my thighs. That night was a long and painful one for methat I won’t soon forget. I did somehow manage to get some sleep.
I missed everything that happened that summer. I was unable to walk or leave the couch for nine days. Because I was so sensitive to any type of heat I was unable to go out in the sun. I had to watch from the patio dooras friends from the neighborhood came over and swam in our new pool. I eventually healed and was back to normal but beforethat happened the summer had ended. I had missed out on the entire summer.
I brought a few lessons away from the whole experience. It kind of depends on how you look at it. The first and most obvious lesson is don’t play with fire. The second lesson to be learned is, ifyou do decide to play with fire, don’t pour gunpowder on a lit match.Category: Miscellaneous
