Kirk Hammett: Teenage Metalhead

Chapter 3: Eggs in Autumn

The sound of birds chirping could be heard from outside of Kirks home. It was Saturday morning, the sun was shining, and the sky was blue. It was autumn. The leaves had started to change color. It was October 19th, and Halloween was just around the corner.

It was Kirks favorite holiday, everything was creepy and spooky. Everywhere you looked there was something scary. Whether it was a decoration or an advertisement, there was always something. And Kirk loved it. He would often ramble on and on about why something wasn't scary. Likewise, when he would see something he thought was cool, he would talk about what about it made it cool. He loved this time of year.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

That was the ear piercing sound of the alarm clock that sat on a nightstand next to Kirks bed. Kirks arm extended outward, smashing the 'off' button with his hand. He didn't even open his eyes, it was simply habitual for him.

It was one in the afternoon. After a long week of school, Kirk would normally spend his weekends sleeping in. His mom would often scold him, saying things like "If you sleep in this late, you won't be able to go to sleep on time at night!" and "You're sleeping your life away!". But Kirk didn't care, he enjoyed it too much.

As he got out of bed, he started to yawn. He stretched his arms out and headed for his bedroom door. He walked downstairs and to the kitchen, poured himself a bowl of cereal (Lucky Charms, his favorite), and sat down at the table.

As he crunched down on the bits of marshmallow and wheat, he thought about his plans for the day:

First, I gotta head down to the record store, see if Dillan got anything new in. Next up I'll head to Gary's house, I bet he's been working on some sick new guitar riffs! Man, I should bring my guitar, that way we can jam!

As Kirk got lost in his own train of thought, his mom came walking into the kitchen. "Good morning sleepy head" she said as she patted his dark, curly hair. He hasn't brushed it yet, and it was all over the place.

"Morning mom". "You know, if you sleep in this late, you'll have trouble falling asleep on time tonight". "Yeah, yeah, I know mom". "Well, alright then". This conversation took place every weekend. At this point it was almost tradition.

"Hey mom, I'm gonna head to the record store, see if Dillan got anything new in, then I'm gonna head over to Gary's place". Kirk got up from the table, cereal bowl in hand. He had just finished gulping down the rest of the milk. "Alright hon', be careful, and please don't get into any trouble. Mr. Sanderson still gives me dirty looks when I pass by his shop."

Of course, she was referring to the time Kirk and a few of his buddies egged Mr. Sanderson's store. According to Kirk, Mr. Sanderson had called him and his friends losers, and had insulted their music, calling it "obnoxious and far too loud for any decent human being to bear". Kirk and his friends had had enough, so they bought eggs from the man's store, and went outside and proceeded to egg it.

This memory brought a smile to Kirks face, "Alright mom, don't worry". Of course, asking a mother not to worry is like asking a bee to stop serving it's queen, it just didn't work that way.