"...kills dandelions, moss and small children"
It was summertime, and I was about 6 years old. My Dad had decided to tackle the weeds in the back garden so he had bought a small tank of weed killer – the type with the pump on them. He proceeded to spray all the dandelions that had invaded the lawn and made sure to warn me how dangerous the weed killer was,

"Do not go near any of that stuff, it's REALLY, REALLY bad! Promise me now!"

I nodded my head sheepishly - all I wanted to do was play in the garden. With his back turned, I was out in the garden, running about, rolling about, riding my little bike - all the things I loved about being in the garden in the summer.

Eventually I tired of play and went inside; parents none the wiser. I grabbed a packet of crisps and started eating. Halfway through I realised I had not washed my hands and guessed that at some point I must have put my hands on the grass and were now covered with the dreaded weed killer... Now I had eaten the crisps, surely I had ingested some too!

I'd poisoned myself - was going to die! I was just sure of it! I barely touched my dinner, worrying my parents. I dared not tell them, as I'd been warned off the grass earlier. When it came to bed time, I just sat up in bed. I was convinced that if I fell asleep I would never wake up. I kept awake as long as I could before I fell back into the bed fast-asleep.

I awoke the next morning feeling fine - nothing wrong with me aside from the feeling I'd perhaps been a little silly believing in a premature demise.

I never did tell the story to my parents...
( theoriginalsteve <this space intentionally left blank>, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 16:12, Reply)