Balloons

Nonsense

 A bunch of gloomy looking balloons bobs over my head. I stand in the harsh sunlight staring at the signal, vehicles come to a halt as it turns red. I move around looking for kids to sell my balloons. A bead of sweat forms on my temple and starts tracing its path down my cheek. The signal turns green and the vehicles move away.

I visit a small food shack to quench my thirst. The owner has jars of different types of cookies on his counter. My stomach rumbles looking at those delicious cookies. I rummage in my pockets, they are empty. I satisfy myself with some water. I am grateful water is free.

“What time is it?” I ask the owner.

“Quarter to one.” he answers.

Fifteen minutes for school to get be over. I quickly run towards the school and stand by it's gate hoping to make some business.

Kids in the school wear neat and clean uniform, neatly combed hair, trimmed nails. They put on polished shiny shoes and carry bags full of books and pens, pencils and crayons of different colors.

I look at myself, dirty, untidy and unkempt hair. The shirt I am wearing is soiled and ripped at places. My pant matches my shirt, no shoes. Soles of my feet are hardened, my toes covered with a think layer of dirt. My nails have turned black.

I tumble into an abyss of self loathing and self pity when I compare myself with those kids.

Parents start to appear and form a crowd at the gate, waiting to take their kids home. I make rounds among the waiting parents hoping someone would buy my balloons. I return at the gate defeated, unable to sell a single one.

The crowd is ever increasing. My stomach rumbles again. I do a second round among the parents this and once again I return at the gate defeated. I look up at sky in exasperation and spot a plane, my heart soars with delight, planes always make me happy.

School bell rings and the kids start pouring out yelling gleefully oblivious to my existence. No one even bothers to look at my balloons, let alone buy one. Slowly the crowd becomes to thin. Unable to see any potential buyers I start to leave.

“Mommy, Mommy, balloon, balloon, I want a balloon. Please. Please. Please” I hear a kid.

I turn around to see a little girl pointing at my balloons, her eyes lit up in excitement she is jumping. Her mother buys two balloons. Seeing this, other kids start nagging their parents.

When all the kids have left, I count my money. Enough for now. I start running towards the shack, a bunch of balloons floats behind me, bobbing in excitement.

Reviews

[Mr.Writer]

This is as simple and delicate as ever! You choose a sweet, short topic and added sweet emotions, a plot and characters we can all relate to! Like me perhaps, when I was little, I always wanted this PSP, and would see it at GameStop, but my mom wouldn't get it for me. So I pleaded, even more and she finally did! :P Also, when I posted adds on ebay to sale my PSP once I got older, not many people commented or viewed at all, which can be related to not getting any customers, in the story! :)

[Arvad Lazar]

Thank you :)

[HeyJadeXO]

The story is quite simple yet a fun read.I enjoyed it.

[Arvad Lazar]

Thank You :)

[preeti]

Great description. The language is simple yet beautiful. Good job.

[Arvad Lazar]

Thank you :)