I kind of set fire to my kitchen today… It ended well and everything but I thought afterwards that maybe I should write about it and maybe someone else can learn from my mistakes and won't have to make the same- because if they do it might end up a whole lot worse than what it did for me… so… here we go.

It's told from Seth's pov since I thought this storyline would suit his character.

"And…" Summer took the kitchen towel that laid on the stove and handed it to me. "…no, lying things on the stove while I'm away. We'd never know or notice if the stove is warm and it might not end well…"

"I know. I'll try and remember that."

Knowing myself I should have known I would forget about it…

"Hello." Right as Summer left dad and Sophie Rose came up. "What are you doing here?"

"I left something at here when we left earlier…." Dad gestured towards the stairs. "Sophie Rose wanted to come along too."

"Oooooh noooo." I pretended to whine. "Did she have to?"

Both Sophie Rose and dad rolled their eyes, dad went to get something and Sophie Rose just looked at me, then she started laughing when I took the kitchen towel and laid it on my head so it covered my eyes.

"Now I can't see you. Now I can pretend you're not there."

"You know I'm here, you know I'm here, you know I'm here…"

Sophie Rose kept teasing me while I pulled the tea towel of my head and just watched her as she skipped around continuing to tease me.

I shook my head and threw the tea towel to lie on the stove and had meant to go and tickle Sophire Rose or lift her upside down like I would when she annoyed me. But I never got that far.

"You shouldn't have anything lying on the stove… We learnt about it at school. If you have something there and turn the stove on then it might catch fire."

I took the towel again, and slapped it towards Sophie Rose with a smirk. She took a step back and laughed- even if I had hit her it was nowhere near enough to hurt her.

"SETH." Dad came from upstairs and looked angrily at me, for a second I was scared he was actually angry with me but then I saw the glance in his eyes. "Don't ever let me see you treat your sister like that again…"

"Dad." Sophie Rose laughed. "Don't hit Seth. He was only joking."

"I know…" Dad gave a short chuckle. "…Now, let's go. It's bedtime for you, my young lady."

"Not yet. You just want me to go so you can drink wine and cuddle with mummy…"

I had to laugh- six year old's and their obvious statements!

I heard their voices continuing

Then I wished I would have asked them to stay and help me with cooking and putting some dishes in the dishwasher…

Well. I wasn't an as bad chef as my mum at least so I could use some bread, ketchup, ham and cheese and make a grilled cheese sandwich…

And I was hungry…

I went into the kitchen. The timer that we had here could only be turned on for half an hour at the time but I guess that I'd just gotten used to it…

I turned it on and put the oven on. Then turned to the dishes that stood on the counter waiting to get into the machine and stared at it as if it would make the dishes move by themselves…

"Hmmm…" Suddenly I felt something. "Something's burning."

And just as I smelt it I turned my head and saw that a kitchen towel that laid on the stove had burst into flames…

For a few very long seconds I just stood there and watched the burning flames. While I tried to remember everything they had taught us in kindergarten…

At last, I had to without hesitating I grabbed the kitchen towel and slapped it towards the stove. Once, twice….

I lost grip of it and still burning it fell to the floor and in chock I took one step back.

Now what was I supposed to do?

Stomp on it?

Take it?

Take it outside and throw it in the pool?

I decided that that last thing would be for the best. But then, how was I supposed to grab it? The whole thing was burning!

At last I managed to grab a corner of the tea towel, and almost running towards the patio I held it as far away from myself as possible and threw it in the pool. Somehow without burning myself on it and without looking back I threw it in the water, then I only saw in the corner of my eye that I'd thrown it into the water and not by it as I hurried inside again.

Even if I'd removed what was burning the most it was burning on the stove- a box of cereal and a galloon of milk still stood on the kitchen counter, the plastic of the milk carton was melting and the milk pouring down the counter and cupboard door below. I grabbed the both of them and went outside again.

And even though it had almost stopped burning at that point I just looked around frantically wondering what to do.

I just couldn't find the way to put the rest of the fire out.

At last I just took a bowl, but even though I'd put the crane on running as fast as it could I didn't want to wait for it to fill. So barely even thinking about what I was doing I ran outside again, dipped the bowl in the water so I filled it all up at once, and without caring I spilled it all over the floor I ran back inside and threw all the water at once on the stove, then did that again, and again.

I had put it out the second time but I just needed to be certain I'd put it out I took three more bowls of water before I fell back into one of the kitchen chairs. Still panting and when I pulled up my phone my hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone.

"Hey son."

I didn't quite know why I had called or what I was supposed to say, I just knew I couldn't keep what had just happened to myself.

"Hey dad…. Ehrm. You know we were talking about getting a fire extinguisher?"

"Yes?"

"I was just reminded that it might be for the best if I I actually do get one?"

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. I put it out but I set a fire on a towel and some cartons. And wow my adrenaline's running high… anyway it seems like it's all put out. But as you know- there's some empty space between the counter and the wall and the stove so I have to know if there's anything in between there…" I had to take a deep breath when I started realizing what had actually happened. "…I guess I could need some help with pulling the stove out from the wall to check."

"Oh… I know what you mean son… but I've been drinking so I can't come to yours now. And your mum's out with some friends."

"Should I call Ryan maybe?"

"Yeah, you do that… You know I could come if I could."

"No. Even the tiniest bit of alcohol…" Something clenched in my chest when I realized what could happen when someone drove drunk. "It's a good thing you don't come. Tell my sister goodnight from me and then have a nice night along with her. Okay?"

"Already on it."

I hung up on dad and looked back in my contacts to ICE3 Ryan, after dad and Summer before I put the phone back to my ear. One tone after the other went by but then, just as I was about to put the phone down it clicked and Ryan's voice was on the other end.

"Ryan Atwood?"

"Hey… it's me. Listen. I'm not going to go around and around but.. I could just need some help over here… so are you busy?"

"Yeah. But what did you call for? Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"I kind of set fire to the kitchen earlier." I heard Ryan gasp. "It's fine. I put it out. I just need someone to come help me pull out the stove so nothing's burning behind it. But I can't do it on my own so…"

"I'm sorry. I would if I could but I'm busy."

I hesitated for a few seconds- I had lived here for almost a year, yet I hadn't ever spoken to any of the neighbours.

"I guess I could knock on the neighbours' door or call the landlord… The stove is just simply too heavy for me to get out. And I don't want to leave it in case there actually is something burning there that could spread."

"It's okay. I understand. But I have to go now."

I hung up and hesitated for a while. It wasn't late at night so I could do either of the one I had told Ryan…

At last I decided on the neighbours' and I put my shoes and my jacket on and went to knock on the door.

There was a big window in the door, narrow but from the height to the lowest part. And in it, before anything else I watched two pugs run up to the door and bark with squeaky voices as if their lives were depending on it.

I didn't want to be nagging, but then just as I was about to give up I could see a man through the window and he came to open.

"Hi."

"Well, yeah. Hi… My name is Seth and I live right here." The man nodded. "And I could need help with something…. You see, I kind of started a fire just. I put it out but I need some help pulling the stove out from the wall and check so there's nothing burning behind it or in between the stove and the counter." The man didn't look as he understood anything. "I could need some help. I could just call the landlord but my parents are both busy and so's my brother so I thought I'd ask you."

For just a moment I thought I should just go home and call the landlord. Then the man reached for his jacket and came after me while I tried to explain what had happened.

"You see. I had a kitchen towel lying on the stove and it caught fire when I didn't see it was hot. That towel lies in the pool now. I just need to know now if anything's still burning but… I thought maybe you could help me."

I tried to take a handle on the side of the oven's banister but let go when the man seemed to find it easier to do it himseelf as he leaned the stove closer to himself and revealed what was still there."

And I could see what and all the food crumbles that had fallen in between the counter and the stove. But I didn't want to keep the man here for longer than I had to and weeboth checked quickly.

"Everything…" he said slowly. "…seems to be…"

"…fine."

The day after I had set fire in the kitchen dad had come over. He had gotten some fire extinguishers and a fire blanket and was helping me putting the things up.

"You do know son, things could have ended up a whole lot worse."

"I know. But it didn't. The guy left, I made a couple of sandwiches and put on the Blind Side to watch a not so dramatic movie. And then I finally stopped shaking as the adrenaline went off. I was going to sleep on the couch where I can see the stove. But I couldn't sleep, and I figured if it would have started burning again it already would have, So I opened the door in between the kitchen and the bedroom wide. And then I lied down on my bed and I fell asleep."

"Sounds like you had an even more interesting night yesterday than what I thought at the start. And if you ever use the stove as a shelf again I'm going to make you move home again. And live with me and your mother and your sister so we can keep an eye on things you don't."

"I won't."

I held up the fire extinguisher where it was supposed to go on the wall and dad took another hook.

"The thing is with these. This white foam in them, if you get it anywhere it's downright impossible to clean up. So just keep that in mind if you ever use it. Okay?"

I saw in front of me the flames that had come up from the stove and upwards to the floor. How I hadn't known it would spread. How I'd thought that if I had to run I would run into the bedroom first and get Princess Sparkles and Captain Oats before I climbed out the window.

"But if there's a fire that's probably the last thing on your mind though."

"Yes… yes of course."

And then I guess there was only one thing left to say.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"We don't have to tell Summer about this. Do we?" ´

"No…" He sounded a bit hesitant. "We don't… Now, what should we… what should you put there to cover the burn mark?"

"I think I have an idea."

When Summer came home I was just placing an arm chair on the one place to cover the mark.

"Hi." I got up, sat down on theh chair and then put my feet up on the footstool that matched it. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah. Amazing…" She looked in confusion towards the chair. "Why is there a big arm chair in the kitchen?"

"I was just thinking that in every other room we have a chair like this. And I don't know about you- but every time I make something I just need to sit down. But everything we have here are some hard, wooden, kitchen chairs."

Summer only watched me for a few seconds and I was afraid that she hadn't fallen for it.

"Good idea."

"It was, wasn't it?"

I turned towards the kitchen, and as I was trying to find something to eat for dinner I didn't notice Summer went out to the patio to leave her things before she went to swim.

And it took a while before I remembered what was in the water…

"Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a kitchen towel lying in the pool?"

That seems like a good ending line.

And no. I did not write and finish this the same day as I started a fire and wrote the story.

Writing ICE in the contacts of your phone stands for In Case of Emergency. So if you ever end up in an ambulance or at the ER and no one's there they can check your phone and find an emergency contact. It's also good to keep more than one in case one or two wouldn't answer.

Random fact

In the story there's a tea towel with Harry Potter… I do not have one which is kind of random because I do have a lot of things Harry Potter… but my tea towel that lies on the side is a tourist- one from the town x snow-pony x comes from. It has pictures of things from the town and the name of it. And she sent it here for my birthday…. Anyway. I thought it could be nice to add something about that as in the middle of it all I was actually scared that one would catch fire.

One more- I don't have a pool to throw what was burning in. But I did have snow. Even new snow that made it easier to take a handful and throw over what I threw on the ground and take inside. If it had been only hard, dirty ice like it was the day before it could have taken me a whole lot longer to put it out.

I quite liked writing this. I hope you liked reading it.