Do you remember when you never thought about what might happen if you got caught? Do you remember those glorious days when fun was your only goal. Huh?? huh??..do you remember..huh? My life as a child was in the constant search of that goal, no matter what. And the boys I hung around with had the same goals. We did all the crazy stuff that boys do...race trains to the other side of the tressel, pee on flood lights, start earth moving equipment and run..put cats in mail boxes and then knock on the door and run. You know, crazy, fun stuff.
So, one day we decided that we would all steal, well, lets say sneak, cigaretts from our parents and then after school be would all have a good ole group smoke. All thru class we were in anticipation of the get out of school bell ringing. There was this place not far from shcool that we had picked to light-up, sit back and enjoy our great caper. It was a home for un-wed mothers and it was surrounded by farm land and in the middle of the farm land was a old pig pen that consisited of a small building that could house the four of us with room to spare.
We snuck thru the tall weeds like we were on a covert mission of some kind. We were, the mission of "Light em if you got em". We reached the pig pen and in we went. we looked at each other and laughed and then we got down to the business at hand. We each pulled out our bounty from our pockets and showed them to one another as it they were precious treasures. Even Mike, the one year older guy..the biggest and meanest..the one we all kinda was a little scared of...said he was proud of us and he took out his lighter..we all only had matches..and lit each of our smokes. Wow, how cool is that. So, there we were, laying back kidding, laughing and smoking. We are ssooo grown-up. Well, that one is almost done, time to light another. We watched Mike as he used one cigarrett to light another and we did the same. Now, that was really neat, did not even have to use a match. We all lit new ones and threw the other ones to the ground in the pig pen. As we were enjoying smoke number two, the pen began to fill with smoke, we looked in the corner and a small fire had started in the dead weeds and was growing fast. Quick, put it out. So, we all had the same idea at the same time, smother it, what with..why of course, our school books. HHmmmmm, only worked for a second, then they too were on fire. Holly Crap..get out get out get out. We all ran across the field as the pig pen went up in flames...pig pen and our school books. We got to a point were we stopped and could hear sirens in the back ground getting louder. We split up and went to our homes. I ran in and went to my room and closed the door. My Mom asked if I was ok and I said yes I wanted to change so I could go out and play. I did not come out. About a half hour later my Mom opened my door and told me to get in the living room right now. I did and there stood a Police Officer holding what was the remains of what looked like a school book. It was all charred. The officer opened the book and looked at it and then asked..Are you Ralph Lee Bradbury? My Mom looked at me, the Officer looked at me, I looked at the floor and in an almost whisper said yes. He said that they found several school books in a fire at the Home for un-wed mothers in and around a pig pen that had caught on fire and was wondering just how my school books had wound up there. I could not think of one thing to say other then saying....itwasnotonlymeitwasTom,AlandMikealsoandIdontknowhowithappenedandthatIwasverysorryandpleasedonttellDad. The officer said for me to go get in His car. We then went to Tom's house, then to Al's house. They were not happy with me and said they would get even. Then we pulled up in the drive way of Mike's house and Tom and Al both said at the same time, you have got to be kidding, you told the cop about Mike..man, you are dead meat. Mike had a Juvinile record already. We all blamed him for everything and said he made us come with him and he made us throw our books on the fire and the Officer sort of believed us and took us back to our house were we did not have to go to jail and where we only got the wrath of our parents. Wait mister Policeman, please take us to jail, dont take us home..please. Nope, you boys get to go home, not to jail. Mike, he went to a reformatory for about a year. when he got out,his family moved to another state. Thank God.
So, remember kids, if you are going to smoke do it in a open paved parking lot were there are no pig pens.
You all be safe............Later, Brad
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