Burnt on Diwali

I still remember that day. It was the next day after Diwali. I was supposed to visit my grandma who was living next street to ours. On the way, I found an unburnt cracker on the roadside. I stopped, picked it up and went on my way. As soon as I reached my grandma’s house I took a paper, and tried to get the chemicals out of the cracker (many should have by now realised what I was up to). Then after emptying the cracker off its stuff, I went on to fetch a matchbox. I took a stick out and ignited it. I tried to place it on the paper, but it would not burn. So I looked down and brought the fire closer. There was a buzz and all I saw was a while light and soon it was dark completely. I felt a gush of pain on my eyes. I started yelling and my grandma came at once. I ran towards the bathroom and had my hand dipped in a bucket of water there. But the pain would not subside. I was crying all the while. Then my grandma actually carried me if i remember correctly (or put me in my cycle and used it to sort of carry me) to my house. I was put on a table in the center of the house and I still remember how bad I felt having to go to school with all the bandages in my head and hand. For many years the marks were on my hand and still there is one on my forehead. Hmm learning the hard way…