[incipient] - Midsummer Rite of Passage (A rural legend)
The legend was passed along in whispers in the small towns on the carnival circuit. On the last night before the show packs ups, a special invitation-only event happens that is never discussed or shared by any of the young female attendees. The party is a mystery, but the rumors say what goes on inside the closed tent is a life-changing experience.
Of course, they have been warned about the carnival boys by their mothers, teachers and pastors. "Dangerous" is the word that is most often used to describe these lean, muscular, sun-tanned young men with half-naked bodies adorned with curious tattoos -- so unlike the dullish farm lads of their native towns. Sometimes the warnings are accompanied by a wistful, far-off look, as if the diligent mother has been swept into a reverie of an almost forgotten night. "Very dangerous!" She repeats.
So, of course, when the choosing starts, the country girls are already primed for some hint from the rakish visitors on the day of the carnival. Many are disappointed -- their tickets are taken, they go around on whatever the ride, and are ushered through the exit. But some few get an extra go-round, and the ones who seem to enjoy it most may be told: "Come back tonight. You know why!"
On solstice eve, the girls begin to queue up outside the main tent under the cool, appraising stares of the virile, self-assured roustabouts. They are instructed to remove all of their clothing and shoes before entering the tent. A brief murmur of reaction ensues, but then they begin to undress in the late sunset and toss their clothes into the large wooden chest. After all, they expected something like this all along.