Playing With Fire

We climbed over the stairs, the old house with its splintering wood and peeling paint looked like day old sunburnt skin. Cautiously we tip-toed, deftly manuvering over wasted pieces of wood, and stepping to test for the volume of creaking. Ducking under the windows- we watched anxioulsy for signs of the grizzled man inside; while scanning the byway for the obvious signs of someone, anyone who might notice and spot us. Finally we attained our target- a small square inscribed on the ancient wood floor; within the square a small insignificant handle was cut blending as if it were part of the normal distress and aging.
We raised the small trap door and while Jason kept a lookout I slipped down into the recesses of the front porch.
"Hurry, come on!" I barked in a muted order.
Jason's legs came through dangling for a few seconds before he dropped with a thud. I popped up and shut the trap door- we were in our new and now official secret hideout. A smile stretched across our faces we were ecstatic. A cool breeze came from under the house, we turned to look under the house and saw a black portal which seperated the lighted porch area, our hideout, from the innards of the house. Light broke through in bits from above, worming through the holes in the floor and spotlighted the weeds, bits of grass and dirt, but when it hit the dark portal the light evaporated leaving everything behind it blacker than pitch. A breeze blew from the portal cool and wet and felt good agianst or skin on this hot summer day. There was a lattice which surrounded the bottom of the porch- walling our fortress, camoflauged with plants on the outside and high weeds and grass on the inside it all helped to secure our fortress, camoflauging us from the outside world. Surveying our hideout we realized the jackpot we just struck, and in our eyes, smiles and spirit we were both exultant.

A truck kicked up dust as it clammored down a gravel and asphalt trail which in our village passed for a street. Jason giggled and then I started "this was great!," we chuckled to each other sitting on the cool brown dirt we fought hard to keep our excitement from becoming to boisterous.

'WHAAMP!' came suddenly as the screen door clapped against it's frame- it was the wizened man. Collectively our hearts swelled in our chests and the mixture of excitement and anxiety plunged us into some innate giddiness.
"Shh, shut up!" "don't be so loud!" "Stop it!" "SHH' were launched from our mouths to each other in rash whispers punctuated by the mans, clumps and thumps of his boots on our roof. Each footstep caused us to jump and we were sure we were going to be seen. Like rats we scurried in the opposite direction of whereever the old man was. We squated next to the house core's portal and looked up throw the holes in our roof and grew anxious, and then we peered into the darkness. "We should go back there." I stammered, fear cracking through each syllable. Jason gave a look as if I had just punched his gut and then sucked the breath out of him. The oldfangled man turned and walked down the wooden steps and was gone. Sweat was beading up on my forehead, when the house breathed a cool breath into our hideout- I began to relax and sighed deep followed by Jason. Jason's face started to relax as did mine and soon a giant grin began to swallow his face.
"He didn't know we were here." Jason enthusiastically clammored
"I know, this is great."
"Hey I brought something for us."
Jason pulled from his pocket a small paper box- red and blue and on one side a bumpy rough patch. 'Pandora's box' I thought I loved mythology- reading and listening about it, any chance I could I wolfed down books on Zeus and the gods of Olympus. Now sitting in Jason's hand Pandora's box, it looked incredible radiating excitement and fun and still we were unsure of what we could with it.
"Give it to me." I demanded my heart turning colder towards Jason, because I wanted what was inside.
"No, it's mine, i brought them." Jason's voice dripped with equal lust for the contents.
We fought under the porch forgetting we must protect our secret hideout, when suddenly a new discord stung the air- a car driving down the road snapped us back. Immediately we ceased all talking and moving and waited for the car to pass and for the sake of preserving our secret we made sure no one had heard us. Once we were sure everything was okay Jason opened his hand again and the box again seemed to glow in his hands, or was it a shaft of light coming through one of the holes in the porch?
Opening the box we made a count of the contents there were 5- two and two and one extra.
We took one of the sticks out of the box, and gently rubbed it on the rough side. Sparks flew and a small smelly clouds came from the tip of the stick. Then there was a burst of light and heat, we laughed quitely and watched as it burned the stick as it grew close to our fingers and warmed our fingertisp. Before it got too close we blew out the flame, laughed as carefully as we could and made plans for the next one. Throughout each event we struggled to keep our laughter and excitement contained and low and when we put out the flame our struggle ended, but as soon as we were under control we took another stick and started all over again.
On the last stick we fought over who would light it, and finally Jason took it and struck it against the box. He began talking to me about how great the hideout was and how cool these fire sticks were and then I wanted to hold it.
"Give it to me, come one."
"No!"
"it's the laste one, come one."
"No!"
paying no attention to how much was burned it singed his fingers and fell onto the floor of the porch. As it fell it touched off some of the dry camogflauge and the fire from the stick transferred to the grass in our hideout.
We began to put it out, but it grew like a monster- swallowing more and more grass, getting wider and taller.
Panic began to set in and we began to get excited and loud. Our best efforts to put out the fire came first from our mouths as spit flew like a sad pathetic barely rainstorm we realized that wasn't going to work so we began throwing dirt over the flames, and abruptly realized that wasn't doing it either.
Desperately and suddenly Jason screamed "Pee, on it!"
Immediately we dropped our pants and tried to pee, but the one thing I have learned from this event is when you command yourself to pee it will never happen- we both made that realization that day. We sat there on our knees hose in hand aiming like a firefighter with his hose in hand and nothing! "What are we going to do?"
We blasted out from under the porch not caring about hiding ourselves or keeping our new found secret- heck we wanted to just save it. Coming from out of nowhere there stood the doddering man.
"What are ya'll doing." Anger seethed from the old man's voice as smoke rolled from under his porch,
"Get back here and put out this damn fire."
We ran past him with no acknowledgements and grabbed the water hose, pulling and tugging like mad we ran the hose as close as we could to the porch and began to shower it down with water while avoiding the dessicated man.
"You damn kids coulda burned down my house- Damn you!" the Old man was like a bull horn and out came my mom and grandma.
The fire was out yet my brain began to burn- I was in such trouble. Proud and scared Jason and I put the hose up as my mom came over to talk to the the neighbor. I didn't even try to look at her I just walked by trying to be as good as I could and give off all the angelic I am the baby boy vibes as I could.
After the hose was put up I strained to look around the corner of the old man's house without being seen. The man's face was red and his mouth moved excitedly, like one of those Chinese movies except his lips were moving faster than the words. From whatever distance anyone could see he was animated and hot. My mom's face was a complete opposite, she was blank and calm and simply listened and took it all in, on occassion she nodded her head.
"We will take care of it, don't worry, I am sorry this happened, I am glad your house is okay and he will be punished."
That sentence echoed and sent shudders of fear throw me. I knew I was in trouble when the flames started now I was in utter fear of the enevitable punishment.
My mom walked off the porch and passed by me as I leaned on the old man's house.
"Jason, you need to go home and talk to your parents about what happened. I will be calling them here in a few minutes."
Jason almost near tears raced down the street kicking up dust like the truck and car from earlier.
I was so afraid, " Mommy, I am so sorry, I didn't mean it, if you want I can punish myself." Yeah I tried to bargain, because I knew the trouble I was in would be like no other. Come on I nearly burned down a mans house, right. Trying to negotiate with mom was a no go, she walked and I moved in her wake. Every step caused my feet to grow heavier and heavier and the house morphed into the look of a dungeon or the Tower of London.
Inside I grabbed a belt and began to inflict a whipping on myself, but no sympathy from mom or grandma- actually I believe grandma chuckled. I was doomed was the only thought in my mind.
My mom seemed in total control and all my bargains and ablutions did nothing, I knew she was mad and would probably wait, but what I wanted at the least was to have her punish me it would save the punishment from Dad, but I never expected the words that slipped from my mom's lips, "Go inside, go to your room, and WE are going to wait for your father."
Two on one- how far is that.