Thursday, September 30, 2010

Red Box

Dad use to call these fireboxes. At one time they were on every street corner in the city. The gang in the neighborhood would often tempt fate by lifting the small door and then replacing it gently. I wanted no part of that. I said it would be just my luck that someone would push me, and I'd drop it breaking the glass. If that ever happened to me, the ringing would still be echoing in my ears and that image of the that red truck, maybe on two wheels, as it screeched off of Arbor Street onto Stevens would be etched in my mind forever. We lived quite close to the fire barn and many a night I was awaken from slumber by the haunting wailing of the trucks off to a fire. When the fire horn sounded, it sent shivers through my body, because Dad always said, "It's a big one."

12 comments:

  1. Vivid image (if it ever happened to you). Amazing those little red boxes still exist. Pretty cool.

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  2. Fantastic and emotional narrative, you write with your heart dear friend and your words bring lovely feelings inside my heart and tears in my eyes.
    You have a blessed talent to write! :)
    Léia

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  3. What charming fire alarms and a well-written description too!

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  4. Be sure to get a picture of a pay phone. It will be the next one to disappear.

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  5. It speaks to your ability to empathize with the firemen and the victims of fire that you were unwilling to take a chance with the firebox, even at a young age, even with peer pressure urging you on. It also speaks to your ability to think for yourself, even back in the day, an attribute of yours that has definitely not diminished with time.

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  6. Yes, what brattcat said.
    I love this firebox--resembles a birdhouse, mm?

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  7. Great photo, and I truly enjoyed your narrative. Beautiful moment in my day. Thank you!!

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  8. There were many of these in the neighborhood where I grew up in Queens. I think the idea was they were for the use of people who didn't have telephones before it was universal. Strangely, there are still some working ones in toney Ridgewood, New Jersey, where my sister lives. It's an antique technology.

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  9. I didn't know these still existed either! They're great and perfect photographic material.

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