my experiments with Crackers

It's too late for dog-days part-2. Let's just finish that story. I came close to being bitten (I would like to believe "ripped to pieces", but to avoid dramatization, let's stick to "bitten") by a doberman. It was my neighbor's dog. Trust me, it absolutely hated kids. Only kids! It was pretty ok with the adults.

Anyways, to wrap up the story - I ring the neighbor's bell, that particular day, the dog is not chained, the next thing I know, the dog is over me and I was dead! My Guardian angels decide to give me a second chance after enough contemplation. So my neighbor comes running and saves me from the clutches of death, the torture of a doctor's treatment, and permanent handicapped state. (I can't even imagine which part it would've gone for).

End of Dog-days!

Let's come back to crackers!

Diwali is around the corner!. seems right to complete this story now.

I was in fifth grade. We were living in a apartment complex. Life is beautiful in an apartment building, at least back then. Lots of kids. Lots of parking space with no cars! (This was around 15 yrs ago!.. So apartment complexes were not as complex as they are now. Parking spaces were mostly occupied by Bajaj-Chetaks!)

We mostly played in the parking spaces. But, this particular time, I found a new place to play. The tenants next door vacated! The watchman for some reason decided not to lock the flat. Oh man! it was fun!. Some of my friends started playing shuttle indoors! This went on for a week.

So, one nice morning, my sister and a friend were playing shuttle in the unoccupied hall. I was sitting on the bare floor and watching them. My idle brain came up with brilliant idea. I ran next door, (our flat) picked up all the left over crackers in my house.

I went back, piled all the crackers in the unoccupied bedroom. For some reason, my sis and frn din't notice. I opened each of the crackers, mostly flowerpots (tht's what they were called! - They are these triangular crackers which give flames of different colors when lit) I piled up the contents of each of the crackers. Open!.. Pour!.. Pile!.. I did this for at least ten minutes, you can imagine the size of the chemical pile.

Now, my idea was to create amazing, multicolored fire works, which would hit the roof. So I find a twig from somewhere, put in the middle of the pile and light it. It doesn't seem to spark the chemicals, so I start meddling with the twig's placement, sitting on my knees and peering at the pile from top.

The next thing I know, somewhere far away, an explosion happened which temporarily deafened and blinded me. Before I realize it's me, I vaguely register two people running into the room, somebody next door (my mum n dad) running down thinking that the power transformer blew up.

Trust me!.. The entire second floor rang with the vibrations created by the blow up!So twenty minutes down the line, I realize my mum has emptied ice-cold water bottles above my head, my dad is calling up my family doc. Everyone in the apartment is crammed into my bedroom, giving some peace of advice.

Anyways, to cut the story short, I was in bed rest for a month. The doctor completely prohibited me from going into the sun. Though I was completely pig-headed, I had the sense to cover my eyes with my hand, when the explosion took place. This, according to the doctor saved me from losing my eyes. My mum's care and the doctor's treatment thankfully made sure I had no scars.

I stayed away from crackers for that year's diwali. The memories were too frightening ;)

After that, things were back to normal. I even became kinda cool at school, especially among the boys!