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Stories
Anyone got some Petrol?
During our time at the Manor, both when visiting for festivals, and when going to school there, the Rude Boyz seemed to have a bit of a fixation with fire. There were many times we were on the verge of creating some real damage, you experiments with fire very nearly getting out of control. The time we decided to make some petrol bombs was no exception.
The Manor and its grounds were a gold mine of the kind of equiptment that we ladz could use to create mischief, and so finding petrol was never any problem. Every year at the Manor during the Janmastami festivals they would bust out with the massive genorators, using them to power the many tents and exibits. As I am sure you can imagine these generators were fuelled by petrol, stored nearby in large 'Jerry Cans'. It was of course no problem to appropriate one of these cans of petrol to use as the base for our little petrol bombs.
Once we had rinsed the can we dashed off into the woods, finding a nice quiet spot over by the corner of the lake just past the rope swing. We had been saving up some glass bottles that we had found laying around, and had them stashed for later use. Once there with the Gas can we quickly set about aruguing about the mechanics of the little petrol bombs we were trying to make. We started filling bottles and tearing cloth, making a huge mess and spilling gas all over the place. The dry forest floor was covered in dry twigs and leaves, and very soon was covered in petrol too. So we filled the first few bottles and put the rags in the end, and tried to work up the balls to be the first to throw one. Male ego was brused, arguments raged back and forth, and some how ... some nob dropped a lit match on the ground. The trails of spilt gas ignited, creating a rush of flame that quickly spread to the Jerry can. Time stopped. The sides of the metal can and the top of it were on fire, the spilt petrol on the sides burning off and inching towards the contained quantity inside the can itself. A decision had to be made. Run? Run and let what ever happened happen? Run and let the can explode and probably burn down the forest? Believe, we considered it. Some of us (not namin no names) decided it was the best option and chipped off, getting as far away as possible. Unfortunatly, I couldnt just leave, the can was about to explode and if it did, we would get covered in shrapnel anyway. I wrapped my hand in my coat and made a grab for the can. The half full container was soo hot by this point that it almost instantly burnt through the covering of my coat and singed my hand. Quick as I could I dashed the whole thing into a near by pond. The fire went out and the contents emptied themselves into the water. It was a disaster, but could have been far worse. The water of the pond was only inches deep to begin with, and so when mixed with a few gallons of gas it became a quit polluted mixure. As a sort of anti climax, just as I was catching my breath from the shock, a small little bird came to drink from the pond. Between the combination of the watered down gas and the oily nasty substance that it was, the bird was a lost cause. It drank from the water and I guess the gas raeacted quickly, because it began weekly flapping around. The flapping in the oily water quickly got it covered, and I am afraid there was little to be done after that. We stamped out the remaining flames that were flickering on the under brush.... and basically breathed a sigh of relief as once again we realised how close we had come to burning the temple to the ground.
This story is copyright of The Author © 2001
by Nitai Hayton
(nhayton@hotmail.com)
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