Fun With Dynamite 
2003 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance
Dear Wendy: I tried to send this one a month ago, but I am blind and must
use a screen reader which does not work well with some websites. It would
be easier if you put an email address on your website, so we could
copy it to the clipboard and paste into our email program!
Can you use something like this?
This story might be worth an Honorable Mention.
Back in 1968, when I lived on the farm in Indiana, I had a half stick of
dynamite left over from a job that I can't quite recall. The stick was wet
from rain that had leaked through the workshop roof. My friend Robert
found me in the shop. When he saw the wet stick of dynamite, he said it
was ruined, and I should throw it away.
I replied, "It's not ruined! Wet dynamite will still explode."
Robert Insisted that wet dynamite was no good. I tried in vain to explain
that water didn't hurt dynamite. Finally, I told my friend, "I'll prove to
you that wet dynamite does explode."
I cut off 18 inches of fuse, crimped a cap on the end, and put the dynamite
in one pocket and the fuse cap in the other. Mind you, I was NOT stupid
enough to put them both in the same pocket. We jumped on our motorcycles
and drove to an open field about a mile down the road.
I walked into the middle of the field, taped the cap and fuse in place, set
it on the ground, and lit the fuse. Then I walked back to the edge of the
field. But my friend Robert didn't walk away! He picked up the dynamite,
and said, "I'm so sure that it won't go off, I'll just hold it.
What could I do about someone who behaved like that? I was not crazy
enough to try wrestling the dynamite away from him. I didn't want to die!
So I just told him, "Goodbye. I'll send your dad back to pick up the
pieces, and I'll come to your funeral." Then I turned and started to leave
the sene.
About this time, he got scared, and put the dynamite down and walked away.
Just as he cleared the blast zone, the dynamite exploded! He turned white
and shook like a leaf. A few months later, we drifted apart, and I never
saw him again.
Did he ever make a Darwin? I just don't know. There are so many Roberts on
the Darwin Awards, with no last names, who knows.
http://cgi.DarwinAwards.com/cgi/search.pl?keywords=robert&swishindex=data%2Fstories.data&show_description=yes Submitted on 06/19/2003
Submitted by:
Kenneth Atkins
Reference:
Kenneth Atkins, Rockdale, Texa
Copyright © 2002 DarwinAwards.com
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