i’ve been lit on fire more than most people would care to be and several nights ago was actually a new experience concerning myself in a flammable state.
often my clothing has caught on fire from welding and grinding operations, a plume of sparks here, a hot chunk of slag or flux there. hot bars of steel have burnt my skin and simultaneously singed and split open my jaw.
when my friend set the roman-candle brick down on the stump and lit it, the colored balls shot at short intervals five to ten feet in the air, yet by the fourth or fifth shot, the brick hopped off of the log and started shooting directly at myself and my three friends. the other three ran shouting in all directions and i instead went right towards the pyrotechnic block. imagining myself jumping on a grenade for my buddies, i attempted to kick the firework down the small hill we were situated upon and missed as the block fired and rolled to the side. my second kick also missed, but the brick had righted itself and shot a low arcing ball just overhead. as i ducked to evade the sparks, the ball landed on the back of my head and proceeded to spew green sparks and burn into my scalp. with several swats i knocked the firey chemical ball from my smoking hair and dropped to the mud to cool my burning head.
my friends finally came back as the explosions ceased only to find me pounding the back of my head into the ground and swearing profusely.
they could only say ”what happened to Greg?”
bravery or stupidity? regardless, one new scar for my already abused scalp