Fire Eater Stunt (standard:non fiction, 1676 words)
Author: Juggernaut	Added: Jan 05 2014	Views/Reads: 3805/2127	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Performing fire eating stunt is dangerous, despite the risk, Juggernaut classmate in the school performs fire eating stunt with ease in his backyard.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


government lands in town.  Children play soccer and cricket after 

clearing the brush on few empty lots and people walk across the empty 

lands to cut the walking distance to and from the work. 

On reaching home, Naidu led the way to upstairs apartment.  “Do 

you want to eat lunch?” 

“I just had a snack at the crossroads shop, I can have a soda 

if you have,” juggernaut looked around the place.   The place was 

sparsely furnished and well kept. 

“What your father does for living?” Juggernaut was curious. 

“My parents don't live here, I live with my sister attending 

college here, we moved here just for our education, my parents travel 

around and visit us once in a while,” Naidu started eating rice and 

curry in a hurry. 

“Travelling around selling something?” 

“No, they operate a touring cinema,” replied Naidu washing his 

mouth to get ready to leave. 

“What is touring cinema?” 

“They own a movie projector and a folding screen to project 

movies in small towns that do not have permanent cinema theaters.  They 

travel to small towns and villages and rent a hall to project movies 

for a fee,” Naidu started walk back with Juggernaut. 

“That sounds like an exciting work, travelling around,” 

Juggernaut never heard about travelling cinema. 

“Not really, moving place to place staying at strange places 

all the time is not something for everybody, my parents like it but we 

don't, we prefer to live here.” 

The friendship between Naidu and Juggernaut grew slowly, once 

in a while Juggernaut visited Naidu's house during lunch break.  One 

evening when school was dismissed, Naidu came running to Juggernaut “if 

you have nothing else to do this evening I want to show you a feat I am 

working on. I am sure you love to watch it,” Naidu looked anxious to 

hear from Juggernaut. 

“If it won't take long, sure I love to watch.  What is that 

act?” Juggernaut was very curious to learn knowing very little about 

Naidu's pastime. 

“Well you see it when I perform.” 

On reaching the apartment, Naidu asked Juggernaut to carry for 

him a small bucket of water, several news papers and he brought with 

him a small bottle of kerosene oil and box of matches. 

“What are all these for?” Juggernaut was very suspicious. 

“I will tell you; let's go to the backyard,” replied Naidu with 

a smile. 

The backyard was fairly large with trees and bushes and lots of 

cloth lines stretched across for drying clothes. “Well, for some time 

now I was practicing fire eating, it is dangerous but I can do it 

safely and I did it several times when nobody watching, now I want to 

show you, I am sure you will like it,” Naidu started folding and 

twisting several news papers to make a long and sturdy looking 

lightening torch. 

“Are you talking about fire eating like the one they perform in 

the circus?” Juggernaut looked frightened. 

“Yes, just like that.” 

“You can get burnt seriously,” Juggernaut looked worried. 

“No, look at me; do you see any burns on my face, I did this 

few times already but I want somebody to see my act.” 

“I am not sure; I am scared.” Juggernaut looked as if he was in 

danger. 

“Don't worry, I promise nothing bad happen.  You take this news 

paper torch and when I give a hand signal, you light the tip of the 

torch and  hand over to me and stand back,” Naidu opened the small 

bottle of kerosene and poured a little on the tip of the paper  torch 

and gave it Juggernaut along with a box of matches. Then he lifted his 

head up and took a large gulp of kerosene from the bottle and recapped 

the bottle and put it away. He started to swish the kerosene in his 

mouth with his cheeks moving up and down quickly then he gave a hand 

signal to light the paper torch with its tip drenched in kerosene. When 

Juggernaut handed over the flaming torch to Naidu, he held the flaming 

torch at arms distance and blew the kerosene directing the flow towards 

the flame. A huge ball of flame like a projectile came from his mouth 

towards the torch for few seconds. Juggernaut jumped back and ran in 

fear from Naidu. Naidu threw the flaming torch to the ground and poured 

water on it and washed his mouth quickly.  The entire act lasted for 

only few seconds.  The feat was spectacular with large flame appeared 

as if it was coming from Naidu's mouth just like the fire eating act in 

circus. Naidu started laughing with confidence as if he pulled off a 

big feat. 

“It was a spectacular act but very dangerous,” said Juggernaut 

slowly walking close to Naidu. 

“Not if one does with lot practice, you see I did not get 

burnt. Do you want to try, I can teach you now,” Naidu looked serious. 

“No way, if my father would come to know, he will kill me and I 

am not brave like you to perform dangerous acts.” 

“Where you learned this stunt?” 

“I met a group of people who performs stunts at street corners 

in town begging for money. They taught me fire eating feat and I 

practiced several times with them and again in our backyard alone 

several times to perfect it and never got bunt,” Naidu looked self 

assured. 

“You mean people that swallow sharp nails and push long sword 

deep in to their throat in roadside shows?” 

“Yes, they do lot of other stunts including fire eating.” 

“Have you tried gasoline or alcohol for fire eating? Juggernaut 

with some knowledge in chemistry was curious. 

“Both gasoline and alcohol are too quick to catch fire and can 

burn the face; kerosene is slow to catch fire and very safe to swish in 

the mouth; you notice I did not fill up my mouth fully with kerosene to 

give more air in my mouth to swish to produce kerosene vapors  before 

spitting it out; the roadside performers taught me this trick,” Naidu 

explained in detail like a teacher in the classroom. 

Juggernaut was impressed with Naidu's keen interest and 

knowledge in the properties of fuels like kerosene, gasoline and 

alcohol considering his poor grades in school. 

“What is your next act then?” Juggernaut was really excited to 

watch the spectacular show from so close only few feet away from the 

fire ball. 

“Well, I grew up watching cinemas at my father's touring movie 

theatre. I love stunt scenes and I want to be a stunt man in the 

movies,” Naidu appeared self motivated. 

“You look too good to be a stunt man, you could be a movie 

star,” Juggernaut was really happy for him. 

“I love to play double  to the leading actors on the screen in 

scenes like jumping from burning high rise buildings or moving cars or 

trains, I will enjoy doing those scenes than romantic roles,” Naidu 

appeared  very serious about career in movies. 

On the way home, Juggernaut thoughts were still lingered around 

Naidu's daring act and how he pulled it off without getting burnt. On a 

second thought he believes that Naidu befriended him just to show his 

fire eating stunt. As the school year ended, Juggernaut never saw Naidu 

again in town.  Naidu with penchant for performing risky stunts perhaps 

moved to the coastal city known for movie studios to try roles in stunt 

scenes or joined a troupe of travelling stunt artists performing daring 

acts in fairs and carnivals. 


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