It’s time to get the Christmas tree down and decorate it with the many new trinkets the children bring home every year. These being replacements for the ones we lost in the fire.
It was a very hot summer weekend, when we needed a wiener roast. The family scheduled one for the 4th of July weekend and family and neighbors were on hand, even when clean-up was needed. The fireworks were spectacular with all the young people ready to burn them for the enjoyment of all. After all the fireworks were consumed, the ambers were wetted down to avoid any fires.
There were toddlers along with their parents, showing off their sparklers and running around smiling and having fun. Unbeknown to anyone, one of the young ones, at cleaning time, threw the still hot sparkler in the trash bin while others were cleaning up the debris from the fireworks.
All was cleaned up, we said our goodbyes, and everyone left for their respective homes, happy to have spent the day among family and friends.
As grumpy was sitting on his recliner in front of the television watching the late news, he thought the night was too bright outside; perhaps someone forgot to turn off the outdoor light. After thinking about it for a moment, he walked to the back of the house to discover the trash containers were on fire, and next to them, the storage shed was engulfed in flames, with the nearby fishing boat ready to become toast. It was a sorrowful sight.
He immediately woke up the rest of the family, rounded up all the water hoses and started to douse the flames as fast as we could. However, the flames were too close to the electrical and telephone boxes and in no time, those were also engulfed in flames; the electricity went, and along with it the water pump stopped working. No water, no hope to save anything in the shed. With all the strength we had, we pushed the boat out of the way, but we could not salvage any of the shed contents.
The only remaining thing to do was to get lawn chairs out and sit and watch the flames take over all the precious Christmas decorations, the Easter eggs, camping equipment, tools and most importantly the archery equipment which had brought many trophies. The freezer filled with meat was also lost.
The stench of burned meat, ashes and plastic was in the air for many months after the incident; the loss of food and memories still lingers even after more than 20 years since the shed burned down. Some of the most exquisite memories from Christmas past were lost but no one was hurt, and we saved the fishing boat. Grumpy was really happy about it.
Of course, Grumpy could not stop himself from blaming the older kids for being careless, but we all know accidents happen all the time and although it was a rough time for the family, now I enjoy receiving Christmas tree decorations from the kids every year, to replace the ones lost in the fire. Nothing can replace them, but I am grateful, nonetheless.