100 Minus 99 Red Balloons

The little boy stared up at the man, his eyes as wide as saucers. The reason his attention was drawn to the man was not because the man had a peculiar feature or something on his face. Rather, it was because the man must’ve had one hundred balloons in his hand, all the color of the tomatoes that the boy’s mother grew in the summer.

“Noah, it’s rude to stare,” the boy’s mother reprimanded.

“Mommy, can I have a balloon?” the boy asked. His mother sighed wearily, but quickly replaced her tired expression with a happier countenance. “Excuse me sir, how much for a balloon?” She asked kindly.

The man with the balloons looked at the mother, then her son, and smiled. “For the boy? Free of charge ma’am.” He separated one of the balloons from the mass and handed it to the boy.

The boy’s face broke out in a wide smile. He clung to the string of the balloon with his small hand, determined not to let it go.

The boy’s mother continued to walk with him around the carnival. They passed an old carousel, the paint faded and chipped. He tugged on his mother’s hand. She looked down at him, curious to what he needed. “Mommy, can I go on the carousel?” he asked hopefully, his eyes wide.

The boy’s mother smiled, “Of course Noah.” The wait wasn’t very long as most of the other children at the carnival were teenagers and preferred riding on the more frightening rides. When the bored looking woman let them onto the carousel, the boy ran straight to a horse that must have once been a majestic stallion, but now simply looked weary. The boy’s mother lifted him onto the horse and stood beside him.

“Noah, let me hold the balloon while you ride the horse,” the boy’s mother said, trying to coax it out of his hand.

But the boy gripped it tighter. “But what if you let go, mommy?” He asked, his brow crinkling in worry.

“Noah, if I let go, I’ll buy you a chocolate ice cream,” his mother promised.

The boy thought hard about this. The beautiful bulbous scarlet balloon or the scrumptious, chilly, chocolaty ice cream? He finally decided that his mother had always been especially careful when looking after his things in the past, so he handed over the white ribbon that held the balloon to the earth.

The carousel started a slow melody, and the boy’s horse started its ascent upwards, before reaching the peak and then descending down before going up again. The boy smiled in great joy, but kept an eye on his mother, or more specifically, his red balloon.

As the ride slowed to a stop, the boy’s mother gave him his balloon before lifting him off the horse. He smiled brilliantly, “Thank you mommy.”

“You’re welcome, Noah,” his mother said, smiling at her son.

After the carousel, the little boy’s mother decided it was time for lunch. They walked around until they found a decent looking food stand with some shade nearby.

The little boy and his mother both had a hot dog with a bottle of water. The boy then faced a dilemma: how to eat and still hold on to the balloon.

Fortunately, his mother was smart enough to tie the balloon around the leg of the table so that despite the balloon’s troubles, it could not escape. The boy and his mother ate their food slowly, enjoying the warm day and the cool shade. When they finished, the boy’s mother untied the balloon and handed it back to her son.

The boy and his mother continued walking around the carnival. The little boy went on a few more rides and through several funhouses, holding on to the red balloon tightly the whole time. As the sky darkened and the day drew to a close, the little boy’s mother told him that there was only time to go on one more ride.

The boy thought for a few minutes before asking if they could go on the Ferris Wheel. He had always wanted to go on it, but his mother always told him he was too young.

But today, luck was with him. His mother smiled and nodded. They waited in line for a very long time, but it was worth it when they boarded their compartment.

The little boy clutched the ribbon attached to his balloon tighter than ever because he was afraid that the balloon would want to get away more than ever since they were going to be so close to the sky.

The large wheel went around once, twice, three times before finally coming to a stop. The boy and his mother, however, were at the top of the Ferris Wheel. People below them got out of their compartment and new riders got in. The wheel then moved a few feet until the next compartment was at the bottom.

Instead of being scared, like the boy’s mother expected, the little boy was brave and excited. Slowly but surely, their compartment descended to the very bottom and the wheel stopped again. The boy and his mother got out, and his mother held on to his hand. They walked back to where the car was parked, a few blocks away from the entrance.

When they exited the carnival, the little boy released his mother’s hand, and turned around to look at where he had just spent the day. “Thank you for the nice day,” he murmured before releasing the red balloon and watching it sail up into the sky.

“Why did you do that?” his mother asked, taking his hand again.

“The balloon wanted to be with the sky. Since she gave me such a nice time, I let her go. Besides, I don’t need her anymore,” the little boy stated simply.

His mother allowed herself to smile at his youthful logic. “C’mon then, let’s go home,”