When I was 11, my older brother Mark (He's 7 years older than I) and one of his friends named William Jones used to throw firecrackers in the fireplace and watch them explode. Now, being 11 with an 18 year old brother, I, of course wanted to be just like him. So, when no one was around, I also threw firecrackers into the fireplace (this was North Carolina in the late 70s...fireworks were pretty readily available.) One day, Mark was building a fire in the fireplace. He had wadded up the paper, placed it on the bottom, piled kindling on the paper, and placed wood on the kindling. He lit the paper and had his entire head and shoulders in the fireplace blowing on the flames so they would catch. Well, apparently, one of the firecrackers that I had thrown into the fireplace previously hadn't exploded. As the fire built up and as my brother with his head and shoulders in the fireplace was blowing on the fire, suddenly this firecracker went KAAAABLOOOOOIE!!!!!!!! Grey ash poured out of the fireplace and rolled across him. My jaw dropped and eyes got very big. Mark backed out of the fireplace....his head and face and chest were covered in grey ash. He coughed. I was 11. I felt terrible! I said, "Mark, I'm soo sorry!" He looked at me and said...."WHAT?"........Anyway, I thought that I'd made my brother, whom I loved, deaf. So, I did the only thing that I could think of. I went and got my piggy bank and held it out to give to him, crying, "Here, Mark...I'm sorry I made you deaf." He recovered. I don't think I ever did. To his credit, he's never blown me up.
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