Focused eyes, unblinking, careful like hidden prey. Occasionally sparks leap at him; somehow, they always miss. “Fire is not a toy,” I say, a maxim I’ve imbued in my five-year-old son Oscar. I consider his marshmallow roasting technique: expectant, leaning forward, cautious not to catch his treat aflame as he rolls the stick between his hands like he’s molding spaghetti out of Play-Doh. Then he asks about the cardboard. “I want to burn it!” he cries. “It goes whoosh!” He explodes from his seat, jumps straight up, points his stick skyward, exchanges stabs with gray smoke gripped by a breeze.
Adam Chabot is a teacher, writer, and the English Department Chair at Kents Hill School, a private, independent high school located in central Maine. Find Adam on Twitter @adam_chabot.