Feels Like Lightning (FYW Award: Second Prize, Information)
by Jaylynn Eady
When I was in seventh grade, I was electrocuted.
I entered my room after finishing dinner and I could feel my face getting hot. Once again, my younger sister, Lyric, had her toys, clothes, random mixtures of household substances in a few Tupperware bowls and a variety of other things that belong to her strewn about the room that we share. Even though we shared a room, I did most of the work to maintain it. All my hard work had been done for nothing. Lyric’s electric scissors lay on the ground next to a wrinkled pink t-shirt. Her best friend, Franklin, had given them to her as a gift because she loves doing crafts. I bent down and picked them up; gripped them in my hand and just looked at them. My blood began to boil. I clean this room day in and out, I am done with her making messes and not cleaning them up after herself. Lyric entered the room, and I flung the scissors to the floor.
“No! Why did you do that!?” she screamed and ran over to where they ended up, threw herself on the ground, picked them up delicately, held them in her hands and cried.
“Jaylynn, why did you do that?” she snapped. “Franklin gave these to me and now they’re broken,” she said through the tears running down her face like little rivers. My heart began to throb, my throat got tight and the color drained from my face. I stepped over the obstacles on the floor. “Lyric, let me see them, Please let me try to fix them,” I pleaded. She stood up and shoved the mangled scissors into my hands.
According to National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “1000 deaths take place a year due to exposure to electricity and 30,000 shock incidents take place a year.” There are hundreds of websites dedicated to giving people information on electrical safety. North Virginia Electrical Cooperative (NOVEC) recommends that you “Always unplug an appliance before cleaning or repairing it, remember that a turned-off appliance is still connected to electricity until it is unplugged from the electrical source, and unplug any appliances that emits sparks or does not work properly.” Doing all these things can easily prevent a life-threatening incident. Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), warns people to “Take any damaged electrical appliances to an authorized repair center, to make sure appliances are in good working condition, and to look for any breaks in power cords, connecters and plugs.”
“There is no way you can fix them; they are broken forever!” she shouted as she rubbed her sweatshirt sleeve across her face to relieve it of tears. I pushed some clothes over to make room for me to sit on the floor and I got to work, placing the motor back into the shell after maneuvering the pieces and placing them in their original spots. I put the two pieces together and a click resounded. I plugged the cord into the closest outlet, and I go to push the button and the piece was missing. I press anyway and its usual sound of vibration sings out.
“Lyric, I fixed them!” I said in relief. She walks over to me; I pass her the scissors. She winces at them; she raises them in the air and slams them on the ground with such force. The shell breaks open and the motor rolls out like a marble. “Lyric, why did you do that?!” I snap at her. “You were missing a piece,” she says as she bends over to grab the motor of the once-again damaged scissors. “No, Lyric don’t touch it!” I shout and I snatch the motor off the ground.
The device exploded to life, and a sharp and tingly sensation jolted my arm. The motor lit up, electricity running through it into my hand. I dropped it and jumped back. My entire right arm felt like static. I pinched the skin on my arm with my left hand and I felt the tingling move to the spot I pinched. I can feel my arm; okay, I am good. “Jay, are you okay?” Lyric asked with the look of concern on her face. “Yeah. I think so. Can you get Mom?” I asked her. She ran out the door and standing at the top of the stairs, she yelled in a sing song tone, “Mom, Jaylynn got electrocuted.” “What?! Is she okay?” my mom shouts with worry in her voice. My mom ran up the stairs and stood in the doorway looking into the room. “What happened. Are you okay?” she said with an annoyed tone in her voice. Lyric and I shouted over each other to explain to my mom what had just occurred. After explaining ourselves I said, “My arm feels tingly.” My mom said, “Why don’t you try to get some rest and see how you’re feeling in the morning.” I agreed and went to bed for the night. Now it is just as important to know what to know about electrical injuries. “An electrical shock may cause burns, or it may leave no visible mark on skin. In either case, an electrical current passing through the body can cause internal damage, cardiac arrest, or other injury” (Mayo Clinic).
The next day, I got up and did my usual before-school routine and my arm felt like it had been punched a hundred times, but I could feel it. Midway through the school day I could feel electric shocks pulsing from my arm up into my shoulder. It felt like I was being shocked repeatedly. I tried to power through my history class, but then I started to hyperventilate. I could not catch my breath and I could now feel the shocks traveling into my chest and into my other shoulder and down my left arm into my hand. I raised my hand. “Yes, Jaylynn?” Mr. LaBelle said, as if I was going to contribute to the class discussion. “Can I go to the nurse? I got electrocuted last night and I am having a hard time breathing,” I panted out. “Oh my god, yes of course you can,” he said with a tone of concern. “Marcela, can you walk with Jaylynn to the nurse, so she makes it there safely?” he asked my friend who I sat next to in class. “Absolutely!” she said.
Marcela and I made our way down the stairs to the first floor where the nurse’s office was. We walk into the office; Marcela gave me a hug and said, “Please keep me updated. I hope you feel better.” She made her way back up to class. I sat in the nurse’s office and explained what happened and she had no idea what to do other than call my mom and send me to the Emergency Room. Under certain circumstances, even a small amount of electricity can be fatal. The Mayo Clinic suggests “A person who has had an electrical injury should be seen by a doctor.”