Blue Balloons

Age 9: A Day at the Park

I held the small balloon in my hand, looking up at the sky. It was streaked with reds and oranges, with yellow clouds and half of a golden sun. The sight made me squint a little. I could hear mumbles of shouts and screams back inside the house as I sat on the porch. The sound made me flinch. That was my mother and father, arguing once again about who knows what. My sister had probably locked herself up in her room, talking to her other teenage friends about boys, which I didn't get. How long has it been since we've had a nice day together? A while, I suppose. I looked at my small, blue balloon. It had a smiley face drawn onto it.

I smiled, and it smiled back. "Y'know Mr. Blue, Mother and Father ought to stop fighting right before we plan to go somewhere," i started to say. "We were supposed to go to the park today." I was quite excited to go, too. Sister Jane would go with us, too. Reluctantly, though. Pulling on one of my pig tails, I twisted a strand of hair and twirled it around my finger, still looking up at Mr. Blue. "Wouldn't you agree?" I awaited a response from him, but he just smiled. "I'll take that as a yes, then." A small thud came from inside, making me look back at our red door. Not sure whether to go in or not, I look back up at Mr. Blue, scrunching up my nose at his silence. "Are you thinking about your family, too?" I asked. He said nothing, but swayed in the air as he floated above. I nodded at the response, holding onto his string tightly.

It was hard not to think of family when they were right behind you, screaming their heads off at eachother in heavy British accents. Talking about it only lead to more screaming, though, so it's no use for that. I looked towards the sky again, pointing at the streaks of orange in it. "Mr. Blue, God painted the sky a different color again. He must enjoy art," I say to my floating friend, trying to change my chain of thought. But to no avail. Closing my eyes, I gripped Mr. Blue's string tighter, thinking hard. I made a wish, just as I always did with Mr. Blue.

Interrupting my thoughts, my father threw the door behind me open, screaming at me to get in. "Yes, Father," I said simply. He walked away from the door, leaving it open. I hopped to my feet, flattening my poofy dress against me. I looked to Mr. Blue. "Go tell the heavens my wish, Mr. Blue." I let his string go and watched as he floated up into the clouds. His color seemed to change from blue to a dark purple, which didn't suit him well. I shrugged and headed back inside, gently closing the door behind me as I walked in. My mother greeted me with a prosthetic smile, offering me cookies. I took a plate of them, thanking her as I walked upstairs. I caught a glimpse of Father on the couch, his head buried in a pillow. The argument was over, finally.

I stopped by Sister Jane's room, knocking on her door continuously until she decided to throw it open.

"What, brat?" she asked harshly. The words made me flinch slightly, but I had grown far too used to her tone to be seriously effected about it. I held up the plate of cookies, giving her a slight smile. She scrunched up her nose a bit and grabbed two cookies, slamming the door closed once again. I continued off to my room, sitting on the edge of my purple princess bed and eating the rest of the cookies. No park today, but at least I have cookies. I wondered about Mr. Blue, if he had deluvered my wish to God yet. He must have, being he floated up to the skies so quickly.

Speaking of skies, they had grown quiet dark. The colors changed into deep purples and blacks. It's time to sleep. I'll skip dinner today. The cookies are good enough. I got up off of my bed, changing into my nightgown and setting my plate down on the nightstand. I hurried to the bathroom and brushed my teeth quickly, eager to fly off into my dreamland, where maybe Mr. Blue will tell me if my wish will come true. Hopping onto my bed, I wrapped myself in my thick blankets, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Sister Jane woke me up the next morning, pulling my blanket off of my head. I saw her dressed in a floral pink dress, pearls wrapped around her neck and wrists. Her jet black hair that usually covered half her face was tied back into a high ponytail. "We have guests today, brat, get ready quickly and paint your smile on," she whispered loudly. I could hear faint mumbles coming from downstairs. Nodding at her, I slipped out of bed, pushing my blankets and pillows away from the edge. Sister exited my room and made her way down to everyone else.