picture prompt

smell the sweet scent of pubescent hormones and travel with me to the village fair.
hear the shrill giggles of gaggles of girls and try not to be seen to stare.

it should have been fun but it wasn't. not when you're mother wants to run some blasted earring stall every year. "you can help me this year and next year, well then you can go off galavanting with your mates." she had said the same thing last year. and the year before. in fact ever since young julie mcarthur had asked me to join her at the fair my mother had taken to keeping me within swatting distance. she meant well. i am sure of it. but my ever growing libido was now at breaking point.

My mother in her matronly wisdom whispered into my ear. "you know julie might just came looking to buy a set of earrings you know." but she was clearly mistaken. as were her old world views on teenage courtship. all i needed was a chance to get away and julie would be mine for the day. just a day. thats how long we teen males need to sate our appetites. commitment, love, marriage these were things for older people with less adventure. five minutes, even that would do.

it would take a miracle to distract my mother for the necessary fifteen minutes i needed to seduce young julie. or perhaps an act of arson. given me and god were hardly on speaking terms after i stole a bottle of wine from the rectory the week before. i opted for arson.

the smoke billowed out from behind the stall and into the one behind. they were selling cakes. far more popular with the young crowd of which i longed to be with. my plan seemed to be working as i heard the screams of "smoke, smoke" followed by screams of "fire, fire." i turned to see a wall of flame flowing up the cotten sheets that served as dividers between all the stall. honestly, if i had known cotton was that flamable i would have prayed for a miracle instead.

the fire jumped from stall to stall as the entire village scarpered for the protection of the church. as i stood watching the flames take mums earrings from this mortal plain into another i was grabbed on the arm by my mum. "never mind the earings." she said half sobbing with hysterics. "as long as your safe."

the fire engines came then. so did the police and the local doctor, just in case. thankfully no one was hurt but the fair had been called off due "unforseen circumstances." now i was truly gutted. dear sweet pretty julie would be going home and i hadn't had the oppertunity to woo her. still given i had nearly incinerated half the village population and was not in any trouble i was considering it a draw.

two weeks later young julie knocked on the door with some good news. "there holding the fair again in a month. the villiage pastor just said so" i looked back toward my mother with hope and something else she couldn't quite place. "go on then" she said "i can manage the stall on my own and you never know what might happen. to think you nearly died because i wanted you to sell earrings. how silly of me to force a young man to sell earrings when he's so many better things to do."

Mother couldn't place it, but julie felt it. it was there when the fire had been mentioned. my undeniable guilt flashed across my face and only julie was looking for it. to her credit she waited till mother had gone to do whatever it is mothers do when their sons are talking to girls. "if i ever find out you started that fire i'll never speak to you again." and i prayed for that miracle i should have prayed for in the first place.