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The Fire Cracker

Fireworks were not exactly commonplace while I was growing up. They were not sold in NY, but they were easily available. (Something like drugs today).

I had obtained a firecracker called the “ash can”.  It would go off under water. I waited until we were at Sandy Pond to set it off. I expected to have a few fish around the dock rising to the top.

It was lit, dropped by the dock, and the fuse was burning underwater. It floated back to the top. Then it went out. The wait was for nothing. I then made a “farmer match” gun from a clothespin. I took the powder from the ash can and piled it on a board. I fired the match toward the pile of powder. When I finally had a match that hit the powder, the match went out.

The gun was not very accurate. I tried throwing the matches by hand. I was less accurate. Even when hitting the pile of powder it did not light. I got closer.  I finally lit a match, and while it was flaring, I touched the power. It lit. The cloud of smoke was humongous. The smell was acrid. My fingers were burnt.

I was taken to a doctor. I received the dreaded tetanus shot. The three inner fingers of my right hand had 3^rd degree burns. Most of each finger was a yellowish see through color part was charred. The doctor salved and lightly wrapped them. I could unwrap them once they felt better. I should bend them when I could do so without great pain. I was not to bang them, get them dirty, or get them wet until healed or he saw me first.

A few days later they were still wrapped. They still hurt but the pain was bearable. I wanted to go swimming. Wading would be ok. The water was cool. So cool I put my burnt fingers in. It was great. The hurt stopped. I was going to be better.

The next day I took the bandages off. Now I had three long blisters, one on each of the three fingers.  Soon they were hurting again. I soaked them in cool water. The blisters came off in the water. I had never seen live skin before. I had never hurt so bad either.  

When it comes to fireworks. I should have listened to my grandmother.

If you wish a response, my email is sandypond1@yahoo.com NOTE: I will not open your email If you do not  start your subject line with "BLC".  I am receiving many emails at this address, and without BLC, if I do not recognize them, I will not open them.