One day, my friend and I were playing in the garden. We made a paper plane, set its tail on fire and threw it into the air. It flew over many plants and at last, landed on some dry grass. The fire spread so quickly that by the time we brought a bucket of water, the whole garden was on fire!
We could do nothing but watch the fire spread to a nearby wooden house. We heard loud screams and people from all over the area ran toward the scene. One man went into the house and rescued the people inside.
Someone had called the fire department and the fire-fighters arrived within a few minutes. They extinguished the fire. The neighbours were walking toward me with large sticks. They blamed me for what had happened. I had a strange feeling that everyone was going to be beat me up. I closed my eyes waiting for the inevitable blow.
Instead, someone simply shook me. I heard my mother saying, “Wake up! It’s 7 a.m. and you’re going to be late for school.” I relaxed as I realised that it was only a dream. I took a decision then — never play with fire.
Ananthakrishnan S. Nath , IX, BTC Public School, Puthencruz, Ernakulam
