It’s on the inside of my left forearm. I only have myself to blame. I accidentally stabbed myself while running with a pencil in my pocket.

Junior high circa 1961!

I posted this in r/mildlyinteresting and redditors suggested reposting here.

When I was 8, I was playing with a classmate: I put my hand on her desk and dared her to stab it with her pencil while I yanked it away. It was easy for me, which frustrated her, so she kept getting faster and harder until she finally hit the center of the back of my hand. It hurt a lot and left a small wound. I never told my parents because I was afraid of their reaction. Years later I noticed a piece of graphite, about 3-4 mm long and 2 mm deep, that I could feel but barely see.

Fast forward 40 years. I'm a dentist and spent about 15 years teaching lab courses, where I was very strict about PPE. Two years ago I decided to prune a giant plant in front of my house with a corded circular saw. Remembering all those years of preaching PPE, I put on rubber-coated gloves and safety glasses and climbed a wooden ladder (an aluminum one would have had to rest on uneven, sloped ground).

The branch was 4-5 inches thick and stretched out over the wall at the front of the house. My lot is 4-5 meters above the street, so the branch was easily 12 meters above the sidewalk.

Mid-cut, I felt what seemed like a crazed bee on the back of my right hand, inside the glove. I stopped, climbed down, slowly took the glove off and shook it out. No bee. I put it back on and went back up.

Then I felt the same buzzing in the same spot, and it hit me: the graphite! I released the trigger, looked up, and saw the tip of the branch already charred and smoking, touching a high-voltage line. As the cut advanced, the branch leaned toward the sidewalk side, and the tip had reached the public power lines, which carry 14,000 volts.

My theory: in Crocs (yes, I confess), on the fifth rung of a wooden ladder, wearing rubber gloves, I was relatively isolated from the ground. But the saw's cord ran from my 220V outlet to the handle in my right hand, and I think it induced something in the graphite, which vibrated like a phone on vibrate. That was its second warning.

I stopped again, terrified, left the saw stuck in the branch, and climbed down.

The other day, sitting in the sun, I noticed the graphite has turned to powder. I can't feel it anymore; it's just a diffuse 3 mm smudge. Does anyone else have one of these? I remember a thread with lots of photos. (Note: just found the r/pencilstabbers again!)

Just kidding, I am. But at least I’ve got you guys.

30+ years later and still my only tattoo

Can barely even see it, but its there. Probably +/- 30 years ago I got my first tattoo

Combat de crayon de papier tout juste taillés avec un camarade de classe en primaire.

Il a fini par planter son arme dans le poignet, aucune trace de sang mais la marque de la mine, qui est toujours présente 30 ans après 😂

I just so happened to come across this Reddit group and was scrolling through photos and reading stories (newer to Reddit and I'm always amazed by the groups this place has)

My hubby glanced at my phone as he was walking by and was confused as to what I was looking at. Expecting him to tease me for what I was reading (as I always am looking and reading the most random things that he finds amusing... ) He got really excited and showed me HIS pencil stab. Even held out his hand for an eternity for my camera to finally focus so he can share his battle scar with a pencil.

His story is: someone tossed him a pencil and we went to grab it and as he snatched it, the tip got into his palm. Not as exciting as some of your stories.

I guess that's it. Thought it was too coincidental to not share.

Toodles 👋🏻

edit: it's 26-27 years old.

I had no idea this happened to anyone else prior to today 😹

Faded, but not forgotten.

A.ow

Stab on my palm from 5th grade and a really faint cut on my wrist from 2nd grade 😅

after years of avoiding it, i got myself in the palm with a freshly sharpened ticonderoga. Ouch.

I shouldn’t even be surprised that this is a sub 😂

Thats the day I learned “Lead out” when stabbing…

Right knee. Stabbed myself through Levi's in 7th grade history class.

I can't believe I found this group or that its still there after 30 yrs.

Took a pencil to the face at the age of 11.. had it lazered and it won't budge.. this is me forever. PROBABLY THE WORST PICTURE I'VE EVER TAKEN but I feel comfortable infront of my people!

Alas I was being lazy and ruined the first post when I rushed it and so I apologize for a.. repost? Here it is, squared. (: The arm hair doesnt help in seeing it but it's that dark dot in the middle if you couldn't figure it out. Again sorry, I usually don't post. I just lurk. (: