Excerpt from
THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE
SURVIVORS
Martin Merriwether, a classmate of mine in Fayetteville, was struck by lightning. I was trying to attract the lightning to myself, to feel what my mother felt. I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but the lightning chose Martin, not me.
I am happy to report that Mr. Merriwether is in good health, living in an undisclosed location today. He never remembered coming onto the roof to find me, and he never remembered being struck. He took a semester off from school before resuming his studies and graduating at the top of his class. Martin Merriwether declined being interviewed.