Very tired, so I'll keep my points brief
Item one: my deepest sympathies on the loss of your sister. After reading your note, I halted reading in order to hug mine.
Item two: another excellent chapter, amusing and, at times, chilling, in all the right ways.
Item three: as a baker, I can confirm that objects in the 350-450F range do hurt like an SOB for the brief second it takes the brain to register the sensation.
Example one: pulling a rack from a 425F oven, one of the rack's wheels hit something and it started to tip towards me. The only option I had (other than letting it hit my already sufficiently ugly face) was to stop it from falling with my un-mitted hand. In less than a second, the latex glove I was wearing had melted onto my palm, and my left hand was useless for a couple of days.
Example two: 375F, again pulling a rack from that same oven, I bumped my elbow against the inner surface of the door. That spot is actually still visible on the door from where some of my skin burnt onto it.
So yes, paper-burning temperatures, while not instantly, seriously harmful, still hurt quite a bit. You've asked a baker, and a baker has answered, and proven once again that exhaustion makes him ramble.
Author's response
Hello Anonmug.
I appreciate your sympathies. Our families are out lives. My wife and our unborn son, died in '96, and I've been raising my daughter since. We moved up here to SW Washington when my mother died, to let my sister know she was not alone. Now, she's gone, and all we have is each other. Hugs are the best thing for us.
Tell your siblings you love them hug them and wish them well.
As for the story: I'm glad you're enjoying. Amusing and chilling, huh. Much like life, neh?
Item three example one: YEEOWWWITCH! I've had burns from jet fuel, and I expect having latex meting into your skin is much like having kerosene burning on it's surface.
My daughter did much the same thing when I was teaching her how to bake bread, but grabbed a rack to pull it out, had a nice little line burned into the underside of her fingers for a week or more. On the other hand, she won't do that again.
I used the paper burning example for the reason I mentioned, and I'll give two demonstrations next chapter.
Stay tuned for more fun n games.
Alorkin