April 6 – “The Crab Call: The case of the well-done crab”

I went to a fire call the other day at an apartment in an old wooden structure off of an alley.  Not the greatest place to have a fire (as if any place is).  Let’s just say it was difficult to get to on the best of days, and our guys on the engine made it there in record time.  The neighbor who called in the fire was very impressed with response time. 

When the guys arrived there was a lot of smoke coming through a wide open window, so they didn’t have to breach the door (or whatever the technical term for kicking the door down is).  They just made their way through the window.  And what they found was, I suppose, in the realm of best-case scenarios.  The tenant had been cooking some crabs for his lunch at work.  Apparently he left one behind for a snack later on, which is fine, but he forgot to turn off the fire on the stove.  So the remaining crab continued to cook and cook and cook … and cook.  Once all the moisture had boiled away, the crab and whatever else was in that pot (I couldn’t begin to tell what it was.  Maybe fish?  Maybe potatoes?) charred over and ultimately began smoking.  Fortunately the neighbor noticed the smell and then the smoke.  They told me that they hesitantly called 9-1-1, not sure if they should do that or just try jumping through the window to see what they could do.  I assured them that they absolutely did the right thing by calling and letting the fire fighters do the job they were trained to do. 

The tenant finally got word at his workplace, so he made his way home.  He, too, was extremely thankful that the neighbor had made the call.  And, of course, that the fire department had responded so quickly and efficiently.  Apart from the smell he would have to live with for the next few days, there was a happy ending this time.  Well, maybe not all happy.  What became of the well-done crab?  He made it into the trash, along with the pot and all of its mystery contents. 

Mark 4:41 says, “They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”

Father, thank you for the positive outcome in this case.  Could have been much worse.  Amen.