Thursday 12 March 2015

Shocking curiosity

Courtesy of Suat Eman at
FreeDigitalPhotods.net
     'Whatever you do, never, ever, stick your finger in here' said
      my 11-year-old brother.

Tony, my elder sibling, was standing in our living room with the table lamp in his hand. He was pointing at the opening where the light bulb would go. I was aware that the lamp had been without a bulb (and shade) for some time; each morning, prior to leaving for work, my dad would plug his electric shaver into this socket.

‘Why not?’ I asked.
      ‘Just don’t do it’, said Tony. ‘If you do you’ll get electrocuted.’

When Tony left, and I was alone playing on the carpet with my Lego, I struggled to maintain concentration on building my plastic-brick tower. My gaze repeatedly drifted to the lamp socket. It looked harmless enough; brown plastic casing circling two small holes. And what did ‘electrocuted’ mean? To my 7-year-old mind, anything with the word ‘cute’ in it couldn’t be that bad; my grandmother called me it all the time.

As the morning progressed, my bottom (and plastic tower) shuffled ever nearer to the lamp until I was in touching distance of that two-holed curiosity. Tentatively, as if extending a hand towards a sleeping Rottweiler, my fingers brushed the plastic casing, before snatching them back. Nothing happened. Tony must have been trying to scare me again; one of his favourite pastimes.

I approached the socket a second time, my index finger outstretched. It hovered at the entry, before plunging into the abyss.

My recollection of what happened next is vague and fragmented. I recall a searing vibration shooting along the length of my arm, as if I was clinging to a giant locust. Moments later I was lying on my back, in the middle of our living room, surrounded by Lego bricks, with a whiff of singed flesh in my nostrils.

To this day I remain uncertain as to my big brother’s motive in issuing his warning about that light socket. He knew I was a curious boy who always sought explanations and who was inclined to experiment to find answers. Almost half a century on, when I reminded him of the incident, he claimed no memory of it, adding that, if he said such a thing, it would have been fuelled by a desire to keep his little brother safe. I continue to doubt; after all, a few months earlier he had almost expired after I locked him in a suitcase. Nevertheless, we remain the closest of brothers, perhaps fused in friendship by having both – miraculously - survived our childhoods.  

 

         

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

16 comments:

  1. Your brother gave you accurate information and surely acted from the best of motives. It wasn't his fault you couldn't be bothered to look up a word in the dictionary. Just be thankful your experience didn't give you a phobia about sex.

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    1. I love it when you're so logical. And as for the phobia about sex, when I come to think of it I do still tend to be fearful of putting a ... ...

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  2. Wow, you're lucky to be around, man. Curiosity killed the cat and all that.

    On a side note: "Two-holed curiosity" would make a great adult movie title. Now we just need a script. Well..."script."

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    1. Damn it! 'Two-holed curiosity' would have been a great title for this post. I think I'll change it. Daniel, you're a genius!

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  3. At least you still have a close relationship with your brother, which is more than I can say about myself. I love reading your posts. I hope you have a terrific weekend.

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    1. You were the first person to respond to my blog - I'll never forget that. Thank you for your ongoing support.

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  4. At least it enlightened your understanding of the shocking values that electricity presents. (God, I can't believe I just said that!) I think my first shock came while plugging something in and having a finger touching on of the metal plugs. I remember a vibration more than anything else. And 55 years ago, there were no plug in vibrators to my knowledge. Well done!

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    1. Despite the corny jokes, Richard, I really do appreciate your support and interest.

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  5. Um, I think your brother was utilizing reverse psychology. He knew you'd do it!

    I would have done the same thing to my little sister. Just for shits and giggles.

    xxx

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    1. I think you and my brother would get along just fine!

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  6. You could write a book on all the crazy stuff that you and your brother did! Hilarious!

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    1. Yes, Marcia, it's a wonder we both survived into adulthood!

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  7. I love how you narrate these stories. It's gripping and funny. Missed going through your blog. Gonna make it a point to visit regularly now. Hope you're doing good. Tc :)

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    1. Shonazee - great to hear from you; your support and interest is much appreciated.

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