On a hot summer night at my cousin Cheyenne’s house with my best friend McKenna, and my sister Morgan, I learned a valuable lesson. Around 10 o’clock, the sun had set already, and the temperature was dropping. From the weather getting a bit chilly, we sat around the campfire Cheyenne’s step dad made earlier in the day. We were all having fun, remembering our favorite memories of the past, while the roaring fire popped and sizzled from the burning wood. Distracting us from the conversation, headlights to a car pulled into the cobble-stoned driveway.

“Hey, it’s my uncle stopping by for a visit,” Cheyenne announced.

The man hopped out of his vehicle with a huge brown box that read, “Caution. Products are flammable.” We all wondered what he was doing with the box.

Then, the words to lead us to the disaster spilled out of his mouth. “Hey, kids, I have some left over from forth of July fireworks. Want some?”

At first, no one replied, so I did. Without leaving it up with my friends, I automatically answered, “Yes.” Boom! He dropped the box on the ground. I hurried from the green lawn chair that I was sitting in to the brown box and started digging through everything he had. I then found the biggest firework in the box and shielded it behind my back, so the other girls wouldn’t see it. There was going to be a big surprise for them. I played with it behind my back and felt that it was a big, round cylinder wrapped in plastic. I have not had contact with a firework before in my life until that time, so my mind was racing with ideas.

My cousin has two empty cornfields surrounding her house. It was before growing season, so nothing was planted. Without the girls knowing, I jetted towards the cornfield.

“Hey, guys” I snickered on my way to the field.

“What are you doing?” blurted McKenna.

I didn’t reply. It was as silent as a graveyard. I made them watch what I was doing.

I went down on my knees in the middle of the cornfield and unwrapped the firework and stuffed the wrapper in my coat pocket. I spun the firework around to try and locate the wick. I found it. My hands started to sweat, and I grew nervous. The wick was white with black stripes that had big yellow letters that read, “Caution.” I remember acknowledging it and not caring. I took my purple lighter out of my pocket and flicked it. The flame ignited the wick, and I darted away from the firework until I was right next to the three girls. They were all confused about what was going on.

“Did you light that? My mom is going to kill me,” yelled Cheyenne.

“Yes, indeed I did. And she will get over it,” I chimed. The biggest smile covered my face. As I watched the firework, it sparked, letting us know it was near the end of the wick. Then I saw it tip over. “Oh crap,” I yelled.
Morgan slowly announced, “Megan… did that jus-“

Before she could finish her sentence, the whistling firework shot at us. A green flaming light came towards all of us, so we all bolted in separate directions. I looked over and saw Morgan’s blue superman pajamas were as soaked as the road after a thunderstorm from when she fell. It had rained the day before, so we were running away from a firework in mud. McKenna’s white shoes weren’t so white anymore. Catching our breath another red firework flicked at us again. We all took cover behind Cheyenne’s tall willow tree. My heart was beating out of my chest. The smell of smoke covered the field, and the fog blanketed the night. We all looked over to where the firework was lit, and there was smoke all around.

“Never again, Megan, never again,” yelled Cheyenne.

“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen,” I expressed.

“She didn’t mean it,” Morgan told Cheyenne. “She didn’t know it was going to tip over!”

I could tell by Cheyenne’s face she was very upset with me. I felt bad, but at the time it was the most adrenaline-rushing event that has ever happened to me. Looking back, I have learned my lesson to not play with fireworks. The situation could have gone a whole different way. I know now to light fireworks on flat land, so they won’t tip over.