Bonfire Night is one of many British traditions that has crossed the oceans and established itself in British colonies such as Newfoundland. On this, the 412th anniversary of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, many of us are probably not aware of what, or why, we are celebrating. But I'm sure this neither dampens our spirit, nor diminishes our enthusiasm, when it's time to light up on November 5th. James 1st succeeded Queen Elizabeth 1st in England in 1603. Since his mother was Catholic, English Catholics thought they would receive less persecution and more tolerance of their religion. When this failed to materialize, 13 young men, led by Guy Fawkes, stored 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar, just under the House of Lords, with the intention of killing the King, Prince of Wales and MPs. For some reason a warning letter reached the King and the plot was foiled. Those extremists (terrorists) received their reward; bonfires were lit to celebrate the safety of the King between the 4th and 5th of November, 1605. In 1956 I was teaching at a small school in Summerville, Bonavista Bay, where I, somewhat inadvertently, became involved in the ritual on the 351st anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. I was staying with the Greenings, a very congenial family where laughter was certainly not rationed. An apt description would be William Thackeray'€™s quote: "€œA good laugh is sunshine in the house"; there was certainly no room for emotional darkness. On November 5th, we had finished the evening meal and were gathered around the radio listening to Omar Blondahl (born of Icelandic parents in Saskatchewan), who had arrived in St. John's the previous year and was playing and singing Newfoundland folk songs. There was some kind of riddle contest where clues were given each night. One listener identified the correct answer as a hypodermic needle, to which I remarked "I can't stand those needles€." The Greenings' son and daughter, about 12 or 13 years old, plus another classmate were about to head out to light their bonfire, for which they had made preparations earlier. Someone suggested I should go along with them. As we meandered through the woods in darkness, that not even a laugh could penetrate or dispel, I also found myself in the darkness of ignorance. This was totally unfamiliar territory; I had no idea where we were going and knew nothing about the topography or the terrain of the area. We soon reached the pyre and had the combustible materials set in motion. Savouring the gleeful moment, admiring the luminous, crackling fire, our peace and serenity, very soon, crossed the line to dismay and consternation. A few roasted potatoes from the fire were tossed around in frivolity and fun. When one came towards me, I reacted quickly to avoid it, and backed over an 8-10 foot precipice, landing on my back on the rocks below. I lay there motionless, in intense pain, half-dazed, semi-conscious. I could hear screams and female frenetic cries in the distance that increased in volume as they approached. The students, apparently, had gone out to a lodge meeting and sounded the alarm. To this day, I don'€™t know who carried me out. I know it was painful and I don't recall them using a stretcher. I was placed on the back seat of a car owned by a teacher from another school, who was kind enough to transport me to the hospital in Bonavista. After enduring the pain of driving over an unpaved road fraught with ruts and potholes, the first thing to greet me, upon admission, was a hypodermic needle. Having spent four days there and another week recuperating at home, I was, once again, able to resume my teaching duties. A few years ago a doctor, having read my X rays, noticed scarred tissue in my lower back. I told him it was from a fall a long time ago. Most of us have our physical or emotional scars, but they need not define who we are. There's a fine line between tragedy and comedy, the former focuses on the moment, the latter on the larger scheme of things or the bigger picture. James Russel Lowell said, "Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us as we grasp them by the blade or the handle€." Phil Calloway said, "In the darkest of times, laughter revolutionizes our perspective." I can'€™t let one dark moment cast a shadow on the entire year; my fond memories far outnumber any bad ones I may have. When a student comes up to your desk and says, "Mom says to come down for supper tomorrow night, and she wants to know what you would like to have?" Those kinds of moments and memories can serve to beam beacons of light in our darkest moments, for as Mahatma Gandhi said, "The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowed in prayer." There'€™s a wise saying: "If you play with fire you will get burned. " I don'€™t know what the saying is about horseplay.   Submitted By: NULL