The Mysterious Explosion

Newsletter 2024-01-15

The loud, sharp sound jolted Peter and Delilah awake. Did something fall over, or was someone breaking in? The camera at the front door didn’t show any activity. Whatever the sound was, it originated inside. That was disturbing. Their last litter of foster kittens had been rehomed weeks ago, and there were no other living creatures in the house. There weren’t supposed to be, anyway. Delilah made Peter get out of bed to investigate. In a crisis, the man is the more expendable half of any couple. He carefully surveyed the first floor. Nothing was out of place. Peter’s best theory was that something had shifted in the trash. That didn’t line up with the volume of what he and Delilah had heard, but it was the best he could come up with in his tired state. Peter and Delilah fell into an uneasy sleep. They might never know what that sound had been.

The next morning, Delilah woke up first. As soon as she came down the stairs, she knew the true origin of the sound. The evidence was all over the sliding glass doors at the back of the house. She stared, stunned, unable to comprehend the sight. There hadn’t been a poltergeist or an intruder. There had been an explosion. In the light of day, the fallout was clear for all to see. Her mind zeroed in on the culprit. I was fifteen miles away, but it was all my fault, even if it would still be two more days until I learned about the damage I caused. Here’s the story of how I tried to blow up my friends’ house.