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Another Night and Day Alliance 247
#
anada "A Happy Day #
247 For Balloons" +### +### +#### +###
# # # # # # # # # #
by # # # ## # # # # # #
28 Oregano # .# ## # # .# # .# # .#
dec *### * # * *### * *### * *### *
2000 .+#################################################################.net
Ahh, yes, the balloon, I almost forgot about that. It was a queer
thing, its effect on people. Yes, I did pop it once I noticed what it
was doing and I don't know if that broke the spell, or if it ever cast a
spell. But the balloon...well I'll tell you how it went. I was at the
zoo.
I was at the zoo and it was a nice spring day. I go to the zoo from
time to time, it is near my apartment and it is free. I suppose I like
to see the same old animals, most people see them as new, but I see them
age over the years, besides the zoo is nicely kept and it is nicer to
walk around there than in the musty streets around my apartment.
I bought a balloon. There was a vendor and the day seemed right for
a balloon, to add a little color to the chilly, gray day. I no longer
remember the color, in my memory it is just bright color against dank
clouds. But, no, I did not feel anything special about the balloon, it
made me smile when I looked at it, I felt sort of silly, but a good
silly. People would see me with the balloon and smile and seem to be
happy. But what I did not know about was that after, once the balloon
was out of their sight, they became sad, sader than they were before the
balloon, sadder than the balloon had made them happy. As I made a loop
around the lion house, a woman in a red jogging suit who had been so
happy to see the balloon before now looked all glum as I turned away and
took another path. And a kid who was on his dad's shoulder, who earlier
pointed at the balloon, giggling. That child now was sitting on the
grass with his legs pulled up to his face and his arms over them, all
huddled, and being colsoled by a worried father.
There were others, they all smiled when I passed by, like the balloon
had this great cheering power. And I hoped that would be a happy part of
their day. But when I got to the street to cross back to my apartment,
I looked back and the people no longer had a jaunty gait, but were slouched
over, as if defeated.
I had to put this to some sort of test, so I took out my cellular
phone and called Margaret, who lives in my building, and told her to look
out the window and I would do my best to cheer her up. She opened the
window and saw me walking by and she looked so happy, her face filled with
brightness, and she waved at me and called out, "What a pretty bit of color!
A nice happiness on a yucky day."
Then I climbed the stairs to my apartment, entered, and tied the
balloon to the top ring of a lamp. I gathered some movies that Margaret
had let me borrow for the weekend. I knocked on her door and she opened it
slowly. Her face was ashen, her eyes were a little red and she had a
kleenex in her hand, but she said she was fine. I handed her the movies and
thanked her and she did not want to talk. On my way back to my apartment,
I felt sad for making everyone's day so gloomy. I took out a pin and I
popped that balloon straight away, and that little bit of violence gave me a
tiny thrill, and I felt just a bit better.
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anada247 by Oregano (c) 2000
###################################################################anada.net
