The Laughing Wolf

An Animal Was Harmed, But

Well, it seems that Gut Rumbles, Neanderpundit, and Ironbear are trading stories of growing up. While I had an extremely overprotective Mom, I did manage to do a few things that cause me to share the sentiment of being amazed at still being alive.

The story that Ironbear tells of a cop failing in his duty, and being truly mean, reminds me of what happened to someone I knew growing up. Now, where he lived was small-town-south of the sort with a blinker and not even a real stop light if memory serves. Being a boy of that time, he was out throwing fire crackers and having a blast, when the local police came by. Someone had ratted on him, and they had to check it out.

He froze for a second, then calmly placed the firecracker he had been about to throw into his shirt pocket and waited for the cop, a look of sublime innocence upon his face. A look that changed to total agony as the lit firecracker in his shirt pocket went off.

The cop came up to find him on the ground, rolling in agony, hands firmly clenched to his breast. Not being stupid, he knew what had happened, and somehow managed to keep a straight face.

"Boy, there's been a report of firecrackers around here. You see anyone doing them?" *gasp, choke, cry* "No Sir"

With a straight face, the cop kept asking questions, just like he was talking to a witness (and not the perp). All of which were answered in a proper "Yes Sir" or "No Sir." After several minutes of this, all done with a straight face, he finally asked the question.

"Boy, do you have a problem?" *gasp, choke, cry* "Yes Sir"

A smile flickered on the cop's face, and he said "Thought so." as he turned and went back to the cruiser. I figure that as soon as he was out of sight, he had to pull over and stop, so that he could die laughing. The kid moved very gingerly for a week or two.

To this day, the memory of that (and how the person told it) can still make me laugh.

LW