The little boy screwed his face in distaste as the acrid smell of the smoke entered his nostrils. He was glad his parents were out visiting. They were a bane when around, always interrupting him. Their words of caution were an impediment to his quest for knowledge. He despaired at their tepid reaction to his experiments. He expected better from parents of a future scientist.

The acrid smoke rose in swirls filling the room making his eyes water. He stopped poking the fire and moved back in alarm. He felt suffocated. Suddenly the flames had leaped up, licking the curtains and setting them aflame. He stood immobile transfixed in fear.

Just then the sound of a car door being banged shut came to his ears. Foot steps could be heard hurrying down the path. A huge pair of hands swooped down, lifting him off the ground and into them. Soon he smelled the fresh air. He no longer felt his parents were a bane. He was breathing easily again.

A sharp slap on his fleshy backside made him gasp. He looked in shocked surprise at two pairs of eyes in which anger and relief were fighting each other. His buttocks burned. This time the reaction to his scientific experiments had not been tepid after all.

©Shail Mohan 2010

This is written for Three Word Wednesday

This week’s prompt 3WW CXCVI: acrid, bane and tepid.