Box of Matches

This article was written for my professor in year 1, semester 2, on topic "Childhood Memories"  on March 09, 2018.
Edit and Rewrite: November 19, 2019

When I was about 10, I was so playful, especially with matches. I felt like it was so amazing. It could burn everything in a blink of eyes. It had attractive color and beautiful light. I was just like the only magic in universe that I could hold on my hand. Also, it was cheap at that year, cost KHR100 per box. 

Since I had gotten the matches in my hand, I just never went anywhere without it. I had learned to light it and burn garbage around my house. Sometime I picked up small pieces of woods, built them up like a house and burnt them away. That matches brought me the happy moment with my childhood friends.

Remember once when I and my friend just got a new box of matches, we played in forest next to my house. We burnt garbage like usual until it was time for lunch. We had to leave there, but we did not forget to shut down our flame. As I walked away from there, I saw my friend lighted up his match and threw it to grass field which was half green half dry. And we all went for lunch. After lunch, I came there again. I was shocked because the field turned to black which was the cause of being burnt. My neighbor who helped to stop fire there when I was not around came up and blame me, for my friend told them I did it. So, I had to explain them step by step until they believed me. Or maybe they just did not want it further.

A few weeks after, I got another box of matches. And when I walked pass the same forest, I did the same thing, the way my friend had done the day before. I made fire on top of my match and threw it into a very dry grass. Suddenly, it reminded me of my last worst event, so I went close to the match and stepped on it to make sure the flame was gone. But not! I made the same mistake. This time was even worse. It burnt in larger area. Luckily that the same neighbor was still there and helped out on time again. This time, no one blamed on me because no one knew I was the one who did it.

The mistake in that year taught me a very good lesson; to be careful, to never play with fire, and to be more responsible for what I have done. Whenever I saw kid played with matches, I always advised them to never be involve with it or be more careful with flame they may make up.