Pop

“Phil…Phil, I’m weakening, Phil. Good Lord, I’m weakening!”

Phil looked at his best friend’s body, searching for any signs. “I…I don’t see anything. You look pretty whole, Alex.”

“I don’t know, man. I don’t know. I don’t feel right. I don’t,” Alex said.

“Just calm down. If you freak out you can make it worse.”

“I’m already freaking out!” he continued. “I am and…what’s that noise? Do you hear it? That hissing…I’m leaking! Phil! I’m leaking!”

Phil could hear it. It was slow and nearly silent, but he could hear it and it was unmistakable. “Fight it, Alex. Fight it! You can’t leave me here alone. Please!”

“Oh God. Oh God, I can’t. I’m already off the ceiling!”

Phil could see it. Alex was merely centimeters off the ceiling, but the space was growing fast. Alex was falling and there was nothing he could do. Once you started leaking, it was all over.

“Look at him! He’s already there, licking his lips.”

Phil looked down to see the black beast wagging its tail, panting and baring its teeth. Dozens of his broken red brothers lay on the floor, popped and chewed to bits.

“Phil,” Alex said as he slowly descended. “Remember the good times. Remember how happy they were when we first showed up. Remember me as the round, plump man I was and not the piece of scrap I will become.”

“I will remember, my brother. I won’t forget you.”

“And Phil,” Alex said, inches above the beast’s snout. “We always talked about it, but now that you’re alone, you should go. Reach for the blue ceiling and the white balloons. Do it for me.”

Phil averted his eyes, but he heard the beast barking and then a loud pop. Through the window, he could see the bright blue ceiling filled with great white balloons.

Reviews

[Marie]

What a great story. You made these balloons come alive. I could actually empathize with them and hope that Phil made it out.