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I almost got accused of arson when I was a kid.

I had discovered that if you break all the stuff off of sparklers and put it all in a pile, it would make a great flare.

So, in social studies class, we learned about the volcano in Mexico, Popocatépetl, and as a class project, I decided to make a volcano out of clay. It had a crater at the top where I could put sparkler material, and when it was lit, it made an impressive display. I used a birthday cake candle to start it going.

I brought it to school on the appropriate day along with a small container of fuel. The teacher took custody of the container and to my surprise, they allowed me to demonstrate it to the class.

With the principal observing from the back of the room, I lit the thing, and it was a huge hit with the class. Of course, my project got an “A”.

That’s when it got weird. Not long after, a fire broke out in that very classroom.

My volcano was blamed, but the teacher assured the authorities that the volcano had gone home with me, and there was no remaining fuel around.

It turns out that one particular “student” was a known trouble maker, and was blamed for the fire, though there never was an arrest.

Last I heard of him he was in jail for rape, with a long history of criminal acts. Yogi would understand.