• Feb. 16, 2009
Don't Play with Matches!
Don’t play with Matches!
By Jill H.
When my Dad was young he was curious. He liked to experiment with fire even though his mom told him “Don’t play with matches!” One summer, when he was 12, his experiment could have been tragic.
One day when no one was home my dad went to the garage and got some gasoline and an empty coffee can. He then went to the backyard and put the gasoline in the can. He lit a match and stepped back, waiting for an explosion. To his surprise, nothing happened. He tried a second time. Nothing. On the third try, it lit. He stood there looking at the small flames for a few seconds, feeling disappointed.
Then, hoping to make bigger flames, he kicked the can. Flames burst into the air, rising higher and higher every second until they reached fifteen feet! Not only were the flames out of control; they were alarmingly close to the house. He thought quick and dashed into the house. Right in front of him was the pantry. He remembered that baking soda could put out fires. He grabbed some and ran back outside. He dumped it all over the fire, then used the hose and sprayed water until it was one big, gooey, white mess.
He cleaned it up but never mentioned that he almost burned the house down until he was thirty years old. By then, he knew that a spanking would be out of the question. Now he tells us “Don’t play with matches!”
December 2006
