The Attic of Addiction

Jason's unplanned plan

It was not even the end of summer when the attic exploded. Lightning crackled through the night sky with a vortex of clouds surrounding the town of Vancouver. Luckily my small little barn had been straight smack dab in the center of the whole charade when it started.

My family isn't really believers in government warnings. In fact, they liked to push the laws to the limits even if it made them look stupid. If you don't believe me, try riding in the car while your father keeps 41 MPH on a 40 MPH road. You would think it's coincidental, but I dare you to try going around a corner with them.

The government officials had warned us to leave town for a few nights as the hurricane hit. Not only were they attached to this barn house, but The government officials also gave us more of a reason to stay right where we were. Regardless of the circumstances.

We also lived with our grandfather who took hating the government to a whole new level. He saw every issue wrong with the world having to do with them. If you try to ask him about global warming, the government caused it. If you dare ask him who should be elected as president of the US, you will get a 5-hour rant on how these "FBI Folks" rig elections for money. It doesn't even make sense giving their primary focus is to "Investigate."

Not only is he an anarchist when it comes to the government, but he is also the most stubborn being you would ever meet. I'm not saying I don't love him, we get presents and all from him on the occasions, but he sticks to his own opinion that 99% of the time is wrong.

This brings me to the next subject at hand being my younger brother Dave. As a younger brother, he thinks that all he does is right. He could punch me and find a million reasons why he feels it should be me that gets in trouble.

Then he takes it to a whole new level of trying to aggravate me. If those who are reading this have a brother, you know exactly where I'm going.

This kid has a booklet of ways to get under my skin, and I'm not saying this theoretically. I have actually pulled this book out from under his bed. When my act was discovered he pretended like it was his "personal diary" and that I should "never had read it" because it's "important" to him. Take a wild guess at who gets in trouble at this one.

But regardless, all of them are family which leaves me to the question at hand, why am I staying in this un-sturdy house with a wack job family. It wasn't exactly fair that they forced me to stay here. I even had the option to move out of town with a friend temporarily but my parents kindly disregarded it for me.

However, I'm sure it's punishing you that you haven't discovered the story behind the barn explosion. So I would assume we should get started there

June of 2016, the sound of the lightning echoed through the pipes of each and every room from our godforsaken barn we called home. You could hear water crackling against the roof like thousands of tiny feet pattering against a metal ceiling. But the clearest sound of all was the bright explosion followed by the eerie sounds of a wild, crackling fire in the Attic.

Dave was in the attic at the time so the explosion came as a surprise. Before I knew it, 500 pounds of shattered wood were scattered on top and around me. Dave's screams cried from the floor above, obviously in shock but not at all damaged or hurt. Finding myself dazed and on the floor, I gathered the wood from above me and moved it to the side. Then I got up and wiped sawdust off my shirt. Dave peeked through the newly formed hole and saw me staring at him with the deathly stare, easily translatable as he'd seen it many of times. Quickly he ran downstairs to our father, still shocked at the explosion.

You see, Dave had a knack for explosions. Even as an 8-year-old he'd be in the backyard lighting firecrackers in different formations and styles, unraveling the red cartridge and lighting them under different objects, seeing exactly how much boom would make something explode. From glass jars to wooden boxes, nothing was safe from these pyromaniacs experiments.