Roasting Alive

Me and the fire, we don’t get along so well.

Fire is hot.

Fire eats things.

Fire hurts.

When I was in 3rd grade, fire was also my favorite toy.

I’d light my big GI Joes heads on fire, the rubber quickly melting and burning blackened pools into the carpet. I’d hide beneath my old wooden porch and light the HO scale trains on fire, just to see what would happen. Heck, I’d even fill the garbage can up with paper, and light that on fire just for kicks.

Lucky for me, the entire house didn’t burn down. That almost happened later in High School, but not because I was a fire starter; I was just lazy.

I ended up burning the entire palm of my hand with that old garbage can fire, though the damage certainly wasn’t permanent.

I don’t know what eventually ended my “fire is a toy” kick; I think that it was probably reading that did it, which later transfered to Dungeons and Dragons play.

Once that got started, all of the fire that I needed was in my head.

Was fire ever your toy?

- Daniel


Discussion (9) ¬

  1. smilinphoenix

    Magnifying glass is a gateway to lighters and matches. Lots of melted hot wheels tires and car junk yards. Damaged army men and plastic vehicles. The only thing hotter than fire, was that liquid plastic. I also played with electricity. I would take old speakers and wire the cluster from my ceiling in my bedroom. Then either I would flip the light switch or leave it for an unsuspecting friend. The sound, sparks and smell are like fond memories.

    I just built a filter for my pond using a number of those same techniques. The Koi are very happy!

  2. Savage

    As a public service announcement: “you should not play with fire” and “only you can prevent forest fires” and for good measure “be cool stay in school”.

    :)

  3. Marrock

    I always liked De Niro’s line about fire in “Backdraft”.

    “It’s a living thing… it breathes, it eats, and it hates.”

  4. Travis Trent

    All I can say is fire and eyebrows don’t mix.

    • Daniel

      That has certainly been proven without a shadow of a doubt.

      Jackets and fire don’t mix, either.

      Stupid fire.

  5. Marrock

    Well, there was one rather interesting time when I used some household chemicals, a volkswagen beetle, and a road flare to turn part of a friend’s driveway into glass.

    His father was less than enthused… the police were downright upset… and the firemen were rather impressed.

    So yeah, I think I considered fire to be a toy. ;)

    • Daniel

      Holy cow. Glass?

      • Marrock

        It was unpaved at the time.

        And a magnesium engine block throws off a lot of heat once you get it lit.