I Mean, There IS a Warning ...

My teeth clamp down, jaw muscles flexing. There is a horrible cracking, and ...
It's like there's an explosion in my mouth. The pain is surprising; my eyes begin to water, my nose to run. My tongue feels like fire in my mouth, and I gasp in surprise!

It's a mistake.

The intake of air pushes cold fire down my throat, igniting my lungs. My tongue feels acid-coated, burning until all the nerves go dead.

I'm hoping that the nerves die quickly.

Eyes and nose streaming I snort and hack, trying to clear my lungs, but it only gets worse, the oxygen feeding the fire within me. I cough. I sort. I make sounds like Felix Unger in that old Odd Couple television show from the '70s
.
Nothing helps; I must endure.

Eventually, after what seems like hours but was probably only seconds, it begins to fade. The fire recedes, the acid slips from my tongue, nullified by time and massive amounts of saliva. I wheeze slightly and look down at the tin that still sits in front of me.

"Well ... it does say 'Curiously Strong', " I say, as I smile slightly at my own antics.

Then I reach for another mint.

I will never learn!

Talk to you later!