mid-autumn night
Last week on the night of mid-autumn festival, I arrived back in Sembawang to a very lively scene. All the playgrounds and other open spaces between the blocks were full of kids and their parents. There were lanterns (with real candles, not battery operated bulbs), sparklers and even just candles. It was a pyromaniac's dream. A cloud of smoke hung over each cluster of merrymakers. It was quite surreal to see so many kids all playing with fire. I suppose, as kids, fire is one of the things that has a mysterious allure, because we're always told that fire can hurt us, yet we can't do without it. And it helps that flames are so pretty and hypnotic to watch. So on mid-autumn night, fire becomes a sanctioned thing to play with and it's irresistable. I guess there's a mini pyromaniac in each of us.