What Curiosity Landed Me Into

Photo by Monstera Production

I don't know if I was the only kid who grew up being so curious about almost everything. Like, I just wanted to explore anything I came across.

Nothing goes wrong or right without me trying to dig it out. Things don't spoil around me and I let them be, even if I knew I couldn't fix them I would still want to dig deep to know what went wrong.

The trait grew even worse when we connected light to our house and my father bought some electrical gadgets, I was at my early teens then.

It all started like a joke when my mother's rechargeable torch went bad. I felt so bad that the torch spoiled so quickly, it was barely a month since mom got it.

So, I picked it up and asked Mom, “What did you say was wrong with this?”

She glared at me, and hissed, “Please let me be, Emreal.”

“Mom, come on, what if I can fix it?” I replied.

She scoffed, “Since when have you become an engineer? Sha, it's not charging anymore, fix it if you can.”

“Okay ma, thank you,” I replied and picked the torch to my room. Excitement and fear filled my heart as I kept the torch on my wooden center table.

I didn't hesitate, I began to remove the stripped screw using my screw. My heart was beating fast, I hadn't done it before but something kept nudging me to continue.

And the fact that it was already declared bad by my mother gave me more courage. In no time, the torch was lying open before me. The inside was not new as prior to that time, I had the privilege to smash several electronics while playing.

Though this time around it was to fix and not to destroy. The wires and battery lay before me and I didn't know what to do.

I raised the wires slightly and checked, it was intact, I also lifted the battery from the body and the connection with the wires was intact.

I sat quietly for some time pondering and observing the torch thoroughly.

Recalling that my mom said it wasn't charging, I took another torch that was bad, removed its plug, and inserted it in the one I am trying to fix, then I coupled it and tried to charge it, guess what? The red light that has not been displaying for a long time popped up, I dragged the little button for power on, forward, and a bright light appeared, I dragged it backward and it went off.

I screamed, “Yeah, I did it.”

I quickly coupled the torch properly and returned it to my mom after charging it. Her lips parted and she remained mute when I flashed the light in her presence.

From that day, I felt like I was one great engineer and dared any electronics that had the nerve to spoil in the house.

One of those days my Dad's phone suddenly stopped switching on. He tried all he could, he plugged it in charge, and he bought a new battery, all to no avail.

So, he decided that he was going to take it to an engineer for repairs but before he could do that, out of my kind heart, I thought “why should my father go out there and waste money when he has an engineer in the house?”

Secretly, that evening, I took the phone to the laboratory (my room) and dismantled it in no time. I already had a customized screw that could disassemble phones.

“I can do this,” I encouraged myself when I seemed not to get the problem. Like other times, I thought I would just touch a few things and all will be fine.

I touched all I could touch and tried powering the phone but I was disappointed, it didn't switch on.

Unfortunately, in the process of touching things, I cut the lens that connected the screen to the phone.

I couldn't believe my eyes, I wiped my face with my hands several times, and I began to sweat profusely, my heart racing, I stood up and sat down several times.

While in that state of confusion, I heard the sound of a bike in the compound. Quickly, I peeped through the window and it was my father.

I almost peed on my trousers, it was as if something was dragging my breath with me, my chest tightened and I began to breathe heavily.

“Where is my phone?” my Dad shouted from the parlor.

My siblings all said they didn't know, I could hear their voices from my room.

“Call Emreal,” he instructed my elder sister.

When I came, I wanted to deny it, then later sneak and return it but my conscience didn't let me, so I told the truth.

“Daddy, it's with me," I replied as I extended my hand and presented the phone.”

“Ah, Emreal,” he exclaimed. “I hope you didn't tamper with it?” he asked as he collected the phone from me and observed it, turning it back and forth.

I began to stutter, "I tried to repair it, but I couldn't,” I replied.

“Repair what, are you a phone engineer?” His face twisted in anger.

He took off the back cover and saw some parts were broken, he looked at me quietly and said nothing.

I stood silent before him for some moments then and spilled the worst part.

“Daddy, I am sorry, I also tempered with the screen.”

“Ah! Ah! Emreal, why? I always told you to stop your experiments with my things, now what do I do to you?” he clenched his jaw, and his voice was tight with anger.

A chill went down my spine. “I am sorry sir,” I apologized.

While he was still scolding me, my mother came back from her shop, hearing his voice from the compound. She rushed inside and saw me standing before my Dad like a fowl that had been beaten by rain, my face looking at the floor.

“What happened honey?” she asked him, seeing his facial expressions.

But my Dad couldn't talk, he just left me standing there and went and sat on the couch.

My elder sister replied, “Curiosity has finally killed the cat. Your boy spoiled daddy's phone out of his crazy experimentations.”

My Mom just sighed and went inside the room.

Photo by Monstera Production

I felt really bad that day. My dad later took the phone for repairs and I repented for some time after the incident but continued subsequently even though I was very careful this time and only experimented on things that aren't of use.

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