SotD: The Trials of St. Urho

Hello lovely Ninjas!

Today has been lovely. I did my second water element class and had a lot of fun. It’s still definitely not easy yet but it’s starting to make sense! The weather was stormy today and it made me think of the episode of Doctor Who where Eleven sees Amy’s face on a perfume ad for “Petrichor”. If you’re a Doctor Who buff or you have a huge vocabulary, you’ll know that petrichor is the “The name for the smell of rain on dry ground, is from oils given off by vegetation, absorbed onto neighboring surfaces, and released into the air after a first rain." The easy version of that is the smell of dust after rain! I didn’t get to go outside while it was raining but it’s still an interesting thought for a perfume, don’t you think?

The perfume oil for today is from ZOMG Smells and is called “The Trial of St. Urho”. I’m not entirely sure why it’s named that. I did look up St. Urho and apparently he’s a made up figure created by a Finnish-American to give Finland its own version of St.Patrick’s day. According to his story, St. Urho saved all of the Finnish grape crops by driving the grasshoppers out of Finland; which, of course, makes him the patron saint of Finnish wine makers.

The Trials of St. Urho: Our paean: the scent of a grape orchard in dawn's first chilly light. Ripe and fine Muscat grapes, woody vines with slow, bitter sap, and the cool wet air of a morning on which great things will be done.

On Me: The very first note is grape and not the most pleasant kind. A little on the artificial side but it mellows down nicely. The next smell that comes up before the real dry down is of lacquered aromatic woods.  Once the very woody smell fades it becomes a sweet and fruity smell that is reminiscent of the Muscat grapes I was hoping to smell as the first note. It’s a rich sun warmed smell that I’d expect to find in a ripe vineyard ready for harvest. Definitely lovely!

The Scene:

He’d been working in one of the local vineyards during the day and was absolutely sick of his hands being stained purple from harvesting. At the hot springs he would spend nearly an hour scrubbing at his hands, trying to erase the trace of the violet fruits from the skin. At least the smell wasn’t entirely unpleasant, he liked grapes but he didn’t think he needed to look like one. As the sun set in the west he smiled in anticipation of seeing her.

She was surprised her mistress hadn’t bothered to stop her from going to the spring each night. Then again, the lady really did like her scented baths. As long as she was allowed out of the manor to go to the springs each night, she really didn’t care how many baths she had to pour milk and flower petals into; as least it gave her a way to see him.

By this time they’d set up a deal with the boy who sat by the springs to carry water. When she passed him by, he was to start bringing buckets of water up to the lady’s chamber and leave them undisturbed. Nodding to the boy as she passed, she smiled and hummed softly to herself. When she saw him with his back to her at the spring he was still scrubbing his hands from work that day. Sliding her arms around his waist and kissing his neck, she whispered in his ear, “Hey stranger, are you trying to wash your skin off?”

He smiled and set the soap on the side of the spring as he turned to her. Greeting her with a soft kiss, he brushed her hair back behind her right ear. “Not exactly, just trying to get the damned purple off my hands. Those grapes are trying to turn me unto one of them, I swear.” He kissed her again with a more heat this time then hugged her close.

“Well, you do smell like a grape. A very tasty grape at that!” Laughing softly, she nibbled on his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “You’ve been working in those vineyards so much lately but you never bring any wine back with you. I’m beginning to think it’s not very good, maybe they need better grapes.” Her hands came to rest on his waist as she watched the water bubbling up through the hot springs. 

“Actually, I did bring us some wine. I think it’s from three years ago so it hasn’t aged too much, nothing fancy. I hope you like sweet wines, that crop got amazing amounts of sun and the vineyard made most of it into brut.” He kissed the tip of her nose and leaned into her until she sat on the ledge. After rummaging around in his bag, he came up with a small bottle of wine and two glasses that he set next to her on one of the flatter rocks. “I’ve never been much of a wine man myself but I’ll try anything once in the right company.” He poured them both a glass and handed her one of the cups. “Hope it’s good.”

“Thank you.” She took the wine from his hand and took a sip. Since she wasn’t the most sophisticated person, she didn’t know what notes there were to pick out but the wine was good. It evoked a sunny day and a vineyard full of heavy fruits ready to fall off their trees. “Oh it’s wonderful.” She kissed him and the taste of the wine sweetened their kiss. 

“Sure, it’s ok. You however, are lovely.” Which only led to more grape sweetened kisses.

SotD: Tapadero

Hello Ninjas!!

Finally back to the Scent of the Day routine, Yay! I had my first class as a blue-white belt today and it was awesome. I had a lot of fun learning a new way to move and how to do some wrist locking techniques. It’s definitely a big change from the yellow and white belt moves which were in the earth element; I have to learn how to make my movements fluid at a 45 degree angle instead of a strong up and down movement. I kept doing super “earthy” versions of the blue moves and not getting the right results. That’s why you have to go to class though, to learn :)

Today’s scent is Tapadero from Darling Clandestine. I have a spreadsheet of all the scents I own that lists their maker, name, and scent notes. Since I was wearing a new pair of jeans I bought that had leather and stud embellishment, I knew I wanted a scent with leather notes. Tapadero fit that bill and it was a really new-to-me version of a perfume! I’m so used to foodie or floral scents that I wasn’t sure what to think at first but I loved this!

Tapadero: begins bold and bright with sage and roses, and ends with dusky sweet smoke and leather. Unisex, clean and cuddly.

On Me: Starts off like a new leather coat that’s been rolled in a sage bush. This was the perfect smell for my outfit that day and it mellowed out wonderfully. As it dried down, Tapadero sweetened on me and I got a lovely undercurrent of roses that was twined with a little bit of smoke on cold air. Looooove it!

The Scene:

At this point they were finding ways to meet. It wasn’t easy because an apprentice worked all day to learn their trade with little time to themselves at night. Not to mention that a squire was meant to be at his knight’s every beck and call which was a round the clock job. Nevertheless, they managed to steal time to be with one another at least twice a week. However, the coming day was a huge festival day for the village. Every minor apprentice, squire, child, or student was given the day off to enjoy their young lives to the fullest. The days before were overloaded with preparation work but the sweet bliss of free time was well worth the labors.

She had spent the last three days making barrels full of rose water for the upcoming festivities; she didn’t think she’d ever get the smell of those evil thorned flowers out of her hair! With the new sage scones some lordling or another had requested, she wasn’t exactly sure how she must smell to the general population. “Probably a lot like an inept baker’s apprentice…” she muttered to herself as she slid the last tray of scone free of the oven. Their scent steamed into the air and she did her very best no to trip over anything as she put them on the cooling rack. That was it, she was ready to get home, bathe, and prepare for the one day she was allowed to spend as she pleased.

He was on a mission, he needed to find the best leatherworker in town for procure his gift. He wanted something that would catch all of her wonderful glossy hair away from her face and the heat of the ovens. Her kerchief could only do so much and he knew she hated those lopsided apprentice baker caps. He had something better in mind, something befitting her beauty. After finally finding the shop he had been looking for, he asked to see the best lengths of leather braids to be had. After much decision, he chose two lengths of the softest colored leathers offered, paid the late-working apprentice and ran home.

She slept until after the sun rose! What a wonderful feeling to get enough sleep to feel rested in the morning. Laid out the night before, she’d picked out her favorite outfit; she liked to think the moss green color went well with her eyes and the cream accents were perfect, if a little worn. Hurrying to get dressed, she tripped over a small stool with last night’s clothes on it. As she caught her apron, she sighed and knew all her scrubbing was for nothing, she would see him still smelling like sage and roses. Picking up two of last night’s scones and a flask of the rose water, she tucked their breakfast in her pockets and hurried out the door.

They met in the berry fields, far away from the day’s festivities. Sure, the town would be abuzz with hundreds of conversations, games, feasts, and concerts, but they were finally able to spend time alone. Finally, they’d gotten past the point of blushing when they saw each other and they grasped hands with shining smiles this morning.

“I brought breakfast” She said as she took the flask and scones of out her pocket, carefully unwrapping them. 

The sage scent wafted to his nose and brought a smile. “Sage! Ah, that reminds me of my childhood. My mother had a lovely herb garden and she made sage biscuits. This is perfect.” He took a scone and kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Well, I could live happily never seeing sage again! Ugh, and rosewater, I reek of those flowers. Thought you might like some though.” She offered him the flask as he finished the scone. As he took it in his hands, she laughed and brushed the crumbs from his face. “You really do like sage, don’t you?”

Smiling, he took a draught of the rosewater. The cool, sweet water soothed his thirst as he offered the flask back to her. The sweet tang of rose and sage mixed was new to him but a welcome scent when paired with her pretty face. “I brought you a present, it’s not much but I thought it would look prettier than those hats you hate.” He offered her a small paper bundle and watched with mild apprehension as she delicately undid the folds.

Taking the lovely gift from the paper, she examined the braids in the sunlight with awe. Made of the softest leather she had ever felt, the headband was made of two colored braids, one the color of lilacs that graced their first meeting, the other the mossy green she was wearing. Pressing the fine leatherwork to her lips to feel of supple workmanship, she gasped at the feather-soft smoothness of each braid. “These are amazing! I can’t imagine how much this must have cost you.”

“May I?” He took the braids from her hands and tied them delicately in her hair, pulling it back from her face and letting her bright eyes shine up at him. “There, that’s lovely.” He kissed her forehead and took her hand. Together, they found the cool shade of a large willow tree to sit in as they talked about their thoughts, dreams, and wishes on their day away from the world.

SotD: Circassian

Hello Ninjas!

I graduated last night with my nails in their Blue-White glory. I expect that will be my next post so keep an eye out for a little nail art!  My husband and I both graduated last night, it’s really fun to be going up through the ranks together. Since I’m not much of a runner, this is one of the activities we can enjoy together. He’s really good at Ninjutsu which is a little unfair since I had to talk him in to it! I was hoping I’d better than it than him but shhhh, don’t tell.

Today’s scent is from Darling Clandestine. Circassian is one of the many samples I got from Caitlin’s great makeup de-stash of 2012 and I love it!

Circassian: Circassian is a warm chocolaty fragrance with intriguing notes of black coffee and amber and blossoms.

On Me: It starts of as pure chocolate. Now, with my messed up nose, cheap milk chocolate smells the same as dog food but this is high quality dark chocolate I smell. If you put this on a piece of paper and waved it under my nose, I’d probably ask to eat it! As is mellows out, the chocolate smell lingers but is accompanied by a touch of coffee and a good bit of amber. I really like this! I am not usually one for smells that are pure food but I can see myself wearing this in the winter and fall when it’s cold outside.

The Scene:

They had been on a few of their late-night dates since the amazing carnival experience. She was always daydreaming about him in class with a smile on her face. This time, she wanted to surprise him with a special day and the long weekend gave her the perfect opportunity to do it! She hummed as she packed the picnic basket with lunch foods and a special dessert she spent hours learning how to make. This was going to be a great day, she just knew it.

He was sort of nervous as not knowing what was going to happen today. All he knew was that she had asked him to meet her at the town park by the little waterfall. He smiled to himself as he thought of her and made a cup of mocha to bring her, knowing it was her favorite. Grabbing two travel mugs and looking at the time, he got ready to head out to the park.

Once she was all packed up, she loaded the basket onto the back of her bike and sat her little dog, Echo, in the front basket by her handlebars. Even though this was technically a date, she couldn’t stay with anyone who didn’t love dogs so she decided to make this a little test run for the longevity of their relationship. She ruffled the Papillon’s hair and set out for the park, still humming.

The arrived around the same time, both at least 5 minutes early. Still somewhat shy, they flushed when their eyes met then both laughed. He came over to her bike to say hello when he noticed the little dog on her handlebars. “Well hello little guy! What’s your name?” He asked while holding his hand out to the dog and avoiding eye contact. He didn’t want to cause the dog to growl so he was doing what he hoped was the right thing by letting the dog smell him on his own time. 

She smiled as he tried to make friends with Echo. At least he had an idea of how to approach a dog which gave him bonus points. “This is Echo, he’s my Papillon and my best friend. Say ‘Hello’ Echo.” When the dog licked his hand and nuzzled his palm, her heart all but melted and she smiled. “I’m glad he likes you, Echo is a great judge of character.” She started taking the basket off of her bike before he came over to take the basket for her.

“Where are we going with this? There’s a neat little clearing at the base of the waterfall where Echo can chase butterflies.” He waited for her to nod and get Echo out of the basket so they could walk over to the clearing. “I’ve always wanted a dog but my mom is deathly allergic, she gets hives and is miserable. I live vicariously through friends with dogs, they’re great.” He set down the basket and she started to put out a blanket for them to sit on.

“Echo was a gift when I was having trouble adjusting to middle school. He’s my longest friend and the best at keeping secrets.” She finished spreading the blanket and started to take things out of the basket. Echo went right over to him and pawed at his leg, asking to play. They ran a few short circuits of the clearing and came back to quite the picnic spread. There were sandwiches, chips, potato salad, water bottles, and what appeared to be a chocolate soufflé. 

“Soufflé! Oh wow, did you make that?” She blushed furiously as she nodded and poured a small bowl of water for Echo. “It took me a while to get it right but I remember you said you liked chocolate.” She looked up to see him smiling like a fool and looking for something in the basket. “We have to eat dessert first, that is too good to just look at while we eat sandwhiches! …Oh!” He went to the small bag he’d brought and took out the iced mochas. He handed her one and sat down next to her as she made them each a plate of chocolaty goodness. “Thanks, I guess since there’s no one to say no, we can eat in whatever order we want. I’m glad you like soufflé, and thanks for remembering I love mocha.” She took a sip of her drink and handed him a plate.

He leaned over to kiss her cheek which caused her to blush furiously. “You’re amazing.”

SotD: Satyr

Hi Ninjas!

Sorry this post is sort of late, I had a busy weekend with the In-laws in town! I got some amazing gifts from my Mother in Law which included the new Naked 2 palette and THREE Layla Holographics. I can’t wait to swatch those for you :) I also went and saw Wicked today which was awesome! I did all green makeup and nail polish for Wicked because Elphaba is my favorite character, naturally. On to the scent!

Today’s scent is Satyr from Haus of Gloi. Unlike OHWTO, I am not privy to the perfumer’s thoughts when these smells were made. Despite not knowing the maker personally, I adore this perfume! This was a sample vial I got from the wonderful Caitlin of Shiro Cosmetics when she was de-stashing all of her sample smells. This was only one of an amazing haul of scents! Enough to keep me stocked with writing material for months!

Satyr: Absolutely fiendish creature! And quite frolicsome: Italian blood orange drizzled with blackened vanilla.

On me: Satyr starts off super fruity. This is a definite blood orange scent, not lemony but also not plain orange. Plain orange smells like rubber to me, so I was pleasantly surprised at the great way this smelled. The smell mellows with a much sweeter vanilla note that has a cloying citrus tang at the end. I love it!

The Scene: 

Since their first joining in the orchard by the rose beds, they had not had many chances to spend with one another. She suspected someone had tipped her mistress off to their dalliance when she was no longer allowed to cut the roses for the vases. That did not mean that they never saw each other; there were still heated glances and stolen kisses when they were alone. It was never enough to satisfy either of them after their mind-altering first encounter. She was thinking fondly of that first night when she was summoned to her mistress’ bathing chamber.

He couldn’t get her out of his mind. They’d barely seen each other since that night but every time they touched, their flame was only fanned brighter. There was no way their dreams would be fulfilled, it was absolutely not allowed for a lady-in-waiting to marry, much less have a relationship with, a field hand. Mulling over what gods he would have to bargain with to be allowed just another night in her arms, he went to the hot springs to scrub the dirt from his hands.

Her lady wanted a scented bath and she was to pick not only fragrant flowers but peel blood oranges to refresh the skin. Skeptical of this latest fad of bathing with fruit, she went to the kitchen for fruits and carried the basket with her as she made her way to the springs. With any luck, the servant boy would be there to carry buckets of water for the lady’s bath; else she’d have to carry the many hot buckets herself. 

He was nearly done with the raw soap he’d gotten from the master farmer’s wife, he was satisfied that most of the grit has been washed from his skin. After drying his hands, he stooped to pick some of the strange flowers that grew near the springs. He knew they were an orchid of sorts but he did not think they were native to this land. Regardless, they were in high demand by both perfumers and bakers for their creamy sweet scent. Perplexed, he picked up the orange that had rolled into his boot and looked for the source.

She was annoyed; she’d kicked over the small stool the servant boy was meant to be sitting on. He wasn’t there and she’d have to carry the water herself, not to mention balance the oranges she had brought along. The kick dislodged one of the oranges near the top of the pile and rolled down the sloped path to the spring. Chasing after it, she found him, looking confused and holding an orange, on the path. They finally found a moment alone…

Incredible luck! He thanked the stars that she was the source of the mysterious fruit then set both the orange and flowers on the warm rocks along the spring. Their oils started mingling with the heat and each other, lending a seductive fragrance to the night. He went to her, taking the fruit from her hands before embracing her with a heated kiss. 

She pushed him back until he was sitting on the rocks near the spring, giving her a better angle. In her fervor, she accidentally pushed him in to the spring! Falling in right after him, they came up sputtering for air and laughing happily. The scene was so absurd and a great contrast to the previous moment, they locked hands and she laid her head on his chest to listen to his heart.

“We’ll never get a chance to be alone. Someone has told the mistress not to let me bring the flowers anymore.” She looked forlornly up to him.

He leaned down with a soft kiss and brushed a lock of hair back from her cheek with his thumb “We’ll find a way. If she requests as many fruit baths as the other ladies, you’ll have more chances to come down here with fruit, and me.” The last was whispered in her ear before he nibbled her neck, causing her to squirm.

“I imagine she’ll want to have at least as many baths as the other ladies, if not more so she can look the youngest. She is incredibly vain and…” Her words were cut off by his lips as they embraced with a purpose once more. The only thing to be heard was the sound of crickets’ singing and the soft swish of water around their bodies.

SotD: Raspberry Gingerale

Hello wondrous Ninjas!!

Work is going well this week. I haven’t made it on the mat to train yet and I don’t know that I’ll get to until next week. My wonderful Mother In Law will be there for the weekend along with some other members of my husband’s family so I’ll be busy! Hopefully we’ll get a chance to go to the archery range on Friday; apparently my MIL was in an archery league when she was in college. That totally explains why my husband is a natural with a bow!

Today’s beautiful scent is another one of One Hand Washes the Other’s solid perfumes: Raspberry Gingerale. This was a scent I got as a free sample with one of my previous orders. I adore this scent!! Needless to say, I went ahead and put a full sized solid in my next order. My husband is a big fan of this one because it smells very fruity when it goes on. I’m fairly certain he’s a fan of anything that smells like a food he would eat.

* Raspberry Gingerale: Ripe red raspberries floating up and down in a pitcher of freshly-poured gingerale, thanks to help from millions of fizzy pinprick bubbles. A touch of blackcurrant adds a syrupy sweetness to the blend without weighing it down. A bright and lively scent!

* On me: First nose for RG smells very very fruity. I adore this; it’s a warm raspberry smell with very faint vanilla/ginger undertones. As this mellows down, it becomes more of a warm ginger sugar scent with a faint strain of raspberry underneath.  

*The Scene:

 

The baker had sent her out to pick raspberries for the seasonal tart to be offered this week. Although it was meant to be a task to get her out of the bakery, she really enjoyed being out in the sun with the fragrant berries. The grove wasn’t hard to get to; she made good time if she tucked up her skirt and frolicked through the field. Far from prying eyes, she was free to do as she wanted. No one could tell her to stop humming or pull her skirt all the way down over her shoes in modesty here; she could revel in being young and alive. 

He hadn’t stopped thinking about the baker’s apprentice since he tucked the lilacs behind her ear last week. Since he was a squire, although a lucky one with a kindly knight, he wasn’t free to pursue the girl without telling the knight where he was going. As kind as he was, the knight did need his squire most hours of the day for running errands, keeping his armory spotless, and making sure any summons could be answered immediately with a well-armed knight. The squire was daydreaming as he was shining the knight’s helmet when the knight called for him from the Great Hall. 

Running to answer the call, the squire nearly tripped over his own feet at the sight of the baker in the hall discussing something in great detail with the knight.  “We need you to run out to the berry fields. I’m to have noble guests tonight and they have taste for raspberry tarts.” While the sentence was simple enough, the squire wasn’t sure why this concerned him; he didn’t usually procure ingredients for artisans. With a huff, the baker threw a basket at him and spoke crossly, “Take this to my apprentice, tell her to pick thrice the amount of berries and hurry back. That cow may yet get to bake something with the size of this order.” 

She was almost done picking ginger for the sugared candies that were the baker’s vice when she heard a rustling across the field. It was him. Her heart stopped and she started furiously un-tucking her skirt from her boots to cover her knees and she stopped humming. By the time he made it over to her. She was blushing furiously and trying her hardest to wipe her hands on her apron so she wasn’t muddy as he arrived. 

She was blushing, and trying very hard to change her appearance as he walked up. She’d looked lovely, humming and smiling in the sun as she worked to delicately free the ginger from the soil. Without the watchful eye of the town, she glowed with happiness and was even more beautiful than he remembered her. His words came out cluttered as he tried to convey why he interrupted her harvest. “Th-The baker sent me….More berries… Three times more, this basket… Hurry back.” Well, that was humiliating. He blushed profusely as he set the basket next to her and turned around to leave.

Slightly stunned by the shortness of the interaction she cried out, “Wait, which berries?” 

He almost jumped when she spoke, surprised. He turned around slowly and took a breath. “My master is having guests. They will need more raspberry tarts. Thrice the amount of raspberries and be swift with it.” That sounded like a command from his own lips! “Um, I could help you pick if you want…”

Thrice?! She wasn’t even sure if the groves held that many berries this early in the season and she certainly wasn’t sure she could find that many ripe patches before the sun went down. Exasperated, she picked up her ginger and went towards the nearest berry bush, calling back to him, “Well hurry up, there’s probably not even enough to fill the order! And be careful, berries are delicate. Don’t squish them or you’ll stain the basket.”

Stunned at the demand, he picked up the basket and followed her to the grove. The bushes were prickly but she was deft at freeing the fragrant fruits from their stems without getting pricked. She had to pause and teach him tricks to avoid getting stung by the thorns but soon they were filling the baskets at a steady pace. Side by side, shoulders sometime brushing and causing a blush, they finished their gathering before sundown.

Smiling, she thanked him as she packed the baskets for a swift run back to the bakery. She gave a small nervous giggle as she blushed and kissed his cheek before running across the field. 

Once again left without words, he watched her go as he pressed his hand to the place her lips had landed. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he leaned down to pick up his discarded vest, safe from berry stains. Her basket of carefully cleaned ginger was sitting there, full and abandoned. A twang of anger and fear went through him, remembering the way the baker had slapped her for dropping the croissants. With quick movements, he wrapped the basket in his vest and took off in the direction of the bakery to make sure the order was properly filled.

SotD: Carnivale

Hello Ninjas!

This is my first auto-post; we’ll see how it does posting itself! I’m going to be busy on Saturday between work and a dance recital for a friend’s little boy. I’m so excited, she asked me to help with his makeup because I like makeup and she looks just fine without it so she doesn’t bother. I wish I had that kind of luck :) So, this will be posting while I help them prep for the recital and do my ninja thing!

EDIT: It didn't work! I'll figure it eventually.

Today’s Scent of the Day is Carnivale from One Hand Washes the Other. This is one of the scents from her Private Stock perfumery section which means she came up with the blend with her vast imagination. Let me just tell you this is an awesome scent! I guess I have a thing for foody scents because Carnivale smells delicious to me.

*Carnivale: Cotton candy, orange soda, lemon snow cones and vanilla ice cream all come together to evoke memories of the sweetest part of childhood summer nights.

On me: In the clam shell (solid sample container) this smells strongly of vanilla to me. On the skin it’s a wonderfully tart mix of lemon and orange right off the bat. After mellows down, Carnivale is the epitome of an Orange Creamsicle. I love the way the orange settles in and shares the spotlight with the vanilla.

The Scene:

Midnight at a closed down carnival isn’t exactly the most romantic time to visit. He wanted to do something out of the ordinary though. This was their first date and they were both shy so crowds weren’t the best way to go. With a little help from his friends from summer-school, he managed to get enough people to run her favorite rides and a snack stand just for them. As he led her, blind folded, through the gates of the partially lit fairgrounds, the smell of cotton candy and orange soda wafted through the air.

She was shy, painfully shy. She was that girl that would do extra homework in English class so she didn’t have to read out loud. Listening to music was her easiest way to handle walking through the halls at school and her small group of friends didn’t exactly welcome ‘outsiders’. That didn’t really matter though, he had finally noticed her. Even though she spent most of her time trying to meld into the wall, he noticed her during art class when she painted a scene of a brightly lit Ferris wheel. The assignment was to paint one of your fondest childhood memories and she’d always remembered summers visiting the carnival with her parents fondly. He’d murmured something about his friends working at the local summer fair and they started a conversation about their favorite rides and foods. 

It had been years since she’d been to a fair but she’d know the smells and sounds of it anywhere. The sickly sweet foods, the raw dirt that made the walkways, the grease to keep the rides from squeaking, and the soft hum of the hundreds of lightbulbs lighting the way. Before he even took off her blindfold she was smiling.

He was nervous as he led her through the gates. His palms were sweating and he had to make a conscious effort not to stutter his words. Though he didn’t think she would mock him for it, some of his crueler peers often made a spectacle of his classroom answers.  Once inside the gates, he removed her blindfold and was gifted with a radiant smile. At such unfiltered happiness, he couldn’t help but blush and stammer a quite note about what rides were actually open. She hopped up and down a couple of times before grabbing his hand and staring off in the direction of the snack stand. Soon he was smiling so wide his cheeks hurt and he let go the breath he forgot he was holding. They picked up one of everything from the stand: a candy apple, an orange soda with two straws, a pink cotton candy (her favorite), and a funnel cake sprinkled with powdered sugar. 

She couldn’t believe her eyes, even though the entire fairgrounds weren’t lit up, it was beautiful. She hadn’t been so happy since her elementary school days, before her parents split up. Determined to put it out of her mind, she took it all in. The snack stand was well stocked, despite being manned by only two people, and he was getting her anything she asked for. Eating the cotton candy and taking sips of the orange juice as they walked, she made a beeline to the Ferris wheel. A smiling attendant opened a car for them and didn’t make a fuss about the snacks going along for the ride. As the cars began to rotate, she was nearly tingling with anticipation of reaching the top of the ride.

He wasn’t good at small talk but she was drawing a quiet conversation out of him. They talked about school, their favorite class (art), and all but consumed the snacks when they made it to the top of the ride. At the top, the car stopped while the music went on, and she looked out over the fairgrounds. Though he was incredibly nervous, he slowly reached for her free hand…And she let him take it! She turned her head with a blushing smile and rested her head on his shoulder. As they looked out at the night sky, their kindred spirits rose to the moon while the talked and laughed the night away.