When your phone almost spontaneously combusts!

My smart phone had been acting up for a while, before it suddenly started bulging on Sunday. I was worried when I saw the bulge, but I didn't fully understand how serious it was until my tech‑savvy son urged me to head straight to the phone shop.

The battery had swollen so much it lifted the back cover like a rising soufflé. Seeing it in person was strangely impressive ... and genuinely frightening. I hadn’t overheated it, dropped it, or used it excessively. It simply decided to stage its own dramatic escape.

I’m grateful it chose a harmless burst of drama rather than actual flames.