Not a hero like someone who puts their own life in danger to rescue their fellow man (although I would hope I would do that if the occasion presented itself). No, I wish I were a hero like the heroes in the television show, Heroes. You know, the one that ran for four years, and I stopped watching after the first year because I was no longer into it. “They thought they were like everyone else … until they woke with incredible abilities.”
I want the ability to resist fire.
I’m fascinated by fire. Oh, don’t worry, I’m not a pyromaniac. But staring into a fire is hypnotic, and it’s warm, and I like the way fire crackles and sounds.
Look at that picture. It has not been photoshopped, and I swear there is a hero at the arrow. Or a monster.
Two doors down from us, a house caught fire. Everyone got out, and firefighters were quick to arrive, so the house was saved, but I was fascinated watching the flames try to claim the house for their own.
Last year, an old warehouse-type building caught fire in our town, and I couldn’t leave the scene. I’ve never seen such a large fire. The heat was intense, and the amount of noise surprised me. Noise from the fire as well as the building falling apart. It was mesmerizing.
I wish I were a hero with the ability to resist fire and some day walk through it unscathed.
Ideally, I would find out about my powers gradually. If a mean boy in high school reached across the table at a hamburger joint, and held a lit cigarette over my hand, I wouldn’t pull away. I would let him put it on the top of my hand, and I would look him in the eye until he chickened out and pulled back. I wouldn’t utter a sound, I would simply grab a sliver of ice from my coke and put it on the hole.
If I loaded wood into the wood burner, and my hand or arm banged the side of the hot burner and left a white hot mark (just about every freakin’ time), I wouldn’t flinch.
If smoking hot oil flew out of the pan when I dropped a beef roast into it, and it melted a hole in the carpet, I wouldn’t cry or fuss when the hot oil also landed on a wide area of my arm.
Joe and his screaming chicken.
If I put chicken under the broiler in the oven, and my hand accidentally hit the heating element, I would just sigh and run it under cold water.
In our house, I’m the one who can wash dishes in the hottest of water. I’m the one with white marks on hands and arms from what should have been nasty burns and scars, but the incidents only appear to have taken the pigment out of the skin. I’m the one who can’t seem to stop burning herself with little to no pain or aftermath, and I just look at the menfolk and say, “I’m a hero.”
What hero quality do you possess?
(Carrie Rubin! You better not tell me that I have some terrible neurological disease, and I need to see a doctor right away. Don’t take my hero dream away from me. I’m going to be a firewalker some day! :-))
Weekly Writing Challenge:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/weekly-writing-challenge-i-wish-i-were/
Thank you to my friend, Charlie, who put me onto this remix video. As of this date, it’s coming up on eight million hits
(This is a fun lady, and she’s adjusting to her new-found fame well!)
P.S. – When you publish your post about fire, don’t forget about your ham and cheese sandwich in the skillet in the kitchen, or the bottom piece of bread will look like this:
Breezy Books 
You gave up on Heroes after the first year? That is one area where we are different my friend. I love Heroes. I ate it up. I love it so much, I watched the whole thing on Netflix, because I had missed it the first time around, and I can’t bear to finish season 4 because I don’t want it to end. My father’s business burned down, many years after he had died, thankfully, but you haven’t seen a fire until you’ve seen an auto parts store with a shop including a grease vat and a room full of tires go up in flames. It also took out the neighboring lumberyard. Now THAT was a fire! Surpassed only by the fire at the real tire store down the street shortly thereafter. It was just a couple of blocks from where I live now, and I did go to watch it burn, and it broke my heart. I could actually see the flames from my front porch, actually. What’s my super-power? Why, making the most awesome, wonderful and desirable man in the world fall hopelessly in love with me! Duh!
There was a specific reason I gave up on Heroes. I’ll have to ask Rich what it was. For such a small town, I am surprised at the number of fires we have seen over the years. Good super power by the way. 😉
So your superpower would really be….forgetting something important? Like why you gave up on Heroes?
No, that would be old age. … Ok, maybe forgetting important things because I just forgot about my sandwich and burned it.
I know you’re not thick-skinned, at least not mentally or emotionally. Carrie can probably put a Latin name to it, so hang on to your glutes.
I’ve got that “heart-on-the-sleeve” thing going on, too. Sigh. But that’s a good idea – holding the glutes while waiting for Carrie. Thanks!
Holding the glutes sounds like a nice way to firm them. I shall give it a try.
Hmm, let’s see… Well, there is the condition of Congenital Analgesia or Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP), where one feels no pain, and is thus at risk for severe injuries that go undetected (e.g., burns, biting one’s tongue, etc.). Do you still have your tongue or have you bitten it off? Can you feel a good whack to the noggin or a terrible stub of the toe? If yes, then you’re probably okay. Even if you’re a pyromaniac… 😉
Thanks for the mention, by the way!
I’m a pro at biting my tongue, and the string of swear words that usually ensues assures me that I can feel pain. Thank you for the diagnosis. More virtual chocolate coming your way as payment. 😉
Excellent.
I wish I was rich, they say money cannot buy happiness but I would like to find out for myself… 😀
That’s what my husband says! He has heard the saying all his life, but he wants to give it a try and find out if it’s true. Plus, it will buy a lot of “stuff.” 🙂
Stuff is good 😀
Well, no I need to be worried about you. I never heard of anything like your fireproof body. Yowza!
It’s something goofy with my arms and hands. I feel it when I get a burn, but a quick cold water bath, and the pain is gone. I took the big red oil splash splotch to the doctor, and he said it didn’t look like any burn he had ever seen. He said he thought it was a birthmark when I walked into his office. It simply faded over time, and there is no sign that it was ever there. … By the way, it delights me to no end to see your smiling face here again. 🙂
That is crazy. You should be a firefighter or designated “get the Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven-er” around my house. I have about 6 scars on my arms from past Thanksgivings. I’m sure more will follow.
I am tickled to be back and relieved Dad pulled through. What a nightmare the past 7 weeks were. Now . . . to catch up with what has been going on in the land-o-blogging!
Oh Maddie – you make me laugh! 🙂
Oh, and I sometimes think my super power would be telepathy or something – I have uncanny moments sometimes where I’ll predict what will happen to a person or what they will say sometimes. Just the other day I was calling to make an eye appointment and while the phone was ringing in my ear I thought: maybe my doctor will have a cancellation and what do you think the receptionist lady tells me – we have a cancellation! Coincidence, I think NOT- dun, dun, dun! 😉 Fire abilities are pretty cool, too, though. 🙂
I’m glad I give you a chuckle, Amanda. I’ve never been one to take things too seriously. I probably shouldn’t mess with these weekly writing challenges when most people are so serious about them, but I just can’t help myself. 😉 That telepathy you have is pretty cool, and it must be fun when it happens. I could use some of that super power!
How interesting about your resistance to normal burns and scars–sounds like something my husband would have told me about in med school! We watched ALL of “Heroes” on Netflix last year, captivated at first, hopeful in the middle, and annoyed/amused towards the end. I won’t say any more in case you decide to watch more! What would my super power be? Hmmm…good question. I know there are times when I would like to be ElastiGirl from the Incredibles, for those inevitable requests from family members to get something or do something on the opposite level of the house from where I am, or to get the groceries into the house without moving from the trunk of the car. That’s just wishful thinking; I don’t think I would ever be suspected of actually having any super powers…
ElastiGirl – too funny. That would be awesome. I would never have to get up out of my chair. 🙂 I asked my husband why we stopped watching Heroes, and he said we liked the quirkiness of the first season, but simply didn’t like were it was going later with the one man who wanted to control them all (the girl’s father?). We really don’t remember, but we simply gave up never to return to it again. 🙂 The burn thing is weird, but I still try to be careful.
I already have the power of invisibility. You know that noise you just heard behind you…
Thank goodness it’s you! I hear noises behind me all the time, and when I look, the dog is sound asleep on the sofa. Please try a little harder to quit knocking into the furniture and making me jump!
I was a big fan of Heroes for the first season too! Then something happened in the story and I just lost interest. I don’t really remember what though. That said, the ability to withstand fire is pretty cool. I tend to burn myself quite often so I understand why you would want it, haha.
As for my quality… well, some people say my ability to consume a lot of sweets without getting a sugar overdose is pretty heroic. 😉
Yes, you have had some days where you shared a wonderful amount of sweets. 🙂 My husband read this and said it sounds like a challenge, and he would like to take you up on it. He has been known to consume his own amazing amount of chocolates and other goodness. But my money would be on you. 😉
I’d take up your husband on that challenge! Just let me the time and amount of chocolate. 😀
You are my hero, Maddie! 😀
If I were a superhero I’d love to fly (because I hate traveling in planes) – I could just grab my bags and head off to anywhere in the world I liked (I’d be the holidaying superhero) 😀
Mary Poppins! You could be the next Mary Poppins, but you wouldn’t have to take care of children … unless you wanted to. A flying, holidaying superhero. Very cool! 🙂
Awesome sandwich, just like Aunt Betty used to make. Joe is a doll. You are a Hero Maddie!
I make a fantastic grilled ham and cheese, but I’ve never seen bread burned that black before. It couldn’t even be scraped to be saved. I know better than to put something on the stove and then go back to the computer, but I can’t seem to help myself. 🙂
Go after your dreams, firewalker! If I was a superhero, I’d fly. I could visit everywhere, and I do love to travel!
Flying would be awesome. But I’m afraid of heights. It just dawned on me that I’m an Aries. No wonder I like fire.
I hadn’t seen that video before! Like it!
The power I’d like is resistance to pressure. I could dive a thousand meters under water, float in space, or deal with stupid work.
Yeah, that boiling blood is tough to deal with under any circumstances.