The Lady With the Magical Stuffed Animal Balloons
The Lady with the Magical Stuffed Animal Balloons
She came from a place not of this world and she stood just outside of Valerie’s house- But, Valerie didn’t know that yet. She only needed to look out the window, but Valerie had the blues; she was left alone to play again at recess, like all the days before. She wondered what it was about her that she had no friends. She was shy and didn’t know how to talk anyone. Sometimes Valerie wondered if she was invisible, a ghost, or maybe a phantom?-And that was why no one talked to her-but she didn’t feel invisible, she felt lonely.
“Invisible people shouldn’t be able to feel,” she thought.
Valerie sat hunched over on the couch. Her parents weren’t home and wouldn’t be back from work for awhile. It was a square home, painted white with red trim and green hedges growing under the windows. The inside had two bedrooms and a living room that the kitchen looked out to. The walls were blue and there was a couch with a red floral pattern in the center of the living room that faced a television set they rarely used and a fish tank. The floor throughout the house was covered in laundry, cat toys and other debris.
One of the fish splashed water from the tank with its tail fin. Valerie looked up from the couch unimpressed, feeling blasé towards the entire world- she felt dull inside.
She hid her face in the pillow and wanted to cry, more from boredom than anything else. Then she heard the sound of someone’s voice, maybe two or more people’s voices coming from outside. She lifted her head from the pillow to listen but could not tell what they were saying.
She got up from the couch and walked out the side door to sneak around to the front of the house. She hid behind one of the green hedges. Standing on the sidewalk just outside her house, a crowd of people gathered around a short round lady selling balloons shaped like stuffed animals. The balloons came in identical pairs, one smaller than the other, like a mother and child. All different kinds of balloons, rabbits, birds, gargoyles, fish, and even a pair that looked exactly like the round lady.
Valerie, without knowing what she was doing walked slowly towards the crowd-drawn to it, but suspicious about the lady and the stuffed animal balloons. More people approached and others left, all with magical stuffed animal balloons in their hands.
The lady wore striped stockings and pointed shoes like a witch but her face looked like a dolls, frozen with a smile and rosy cheeks. Her hair was pinned up elaborately with curls and gems that didn’t look in any way out of place, but would rather have been quite disturbing to see her without. Her skirt was flared and black with golden frills, she wore a collard red blouse and a thick belt wrapped around her waist. Her entire image molded her so well that Valerie couldn’t imagine her ever looking any other way.
The magical stuffed animals floated like an ordinary balloon would but had the weight of a cotton filled stuffed animal. While suspended in the air and held only by a thin white string, they appeared as light as air.
She came only to sell her magical stuffed animals and would be leaving soon. She did not care if she sold them all or if she didn’t sell any-she was indifferent and simply wished to see what would happen if she tried .
Valerie considered all that was happening and mistrusted it. As she got closer by to get a better look at the lady, she felt shrunken by the crowd around her, they were all so eager, and she looked up at them envious of their desire but was not yet sure if she felt as they did.
People came from all directions. She did not know where they came from or how they knew the lady was even there, but everyone bought one, except one man. He wished to get one and was rather excited, flapping his hands about and laughing, but the lady refused saying that he had the wrong intensions and that only people with the right intentions could buy a stuffed animal. He asked how she could know and she told him to open his hands.
“I can see it in your palms,” she said.
She spoke so little that this statement startled Valerie.
The lady began repeating this same response to more and more people who tried to buy a stuffed animal. Valerie desperately wanted to know what the lady would think of her hands but felt afraid and hesitated.
Only three pairs of magical stuffed animal balloons remained when Valerie made up her mind and she quickly exposed her hands-feeling impulsive. But Valerie could not easily be seen in the crowd and the lady didn’t seem to notice her. One by one all of the balloons were sold with Valerie still holding her hands out to the magical lady. But the magical little lady who sold stuffed animal balloons outside her door left without a word, and walked down the street away from Valerie’s house until she vanished out of sight.
She went back inside and sat back down on the red floral couch. She felt dumfounded and sad. She wished more than ever she had bought a magical stuffed animal balloon and regretted it. But there was nothing she could do, they were gone and it was over.
There was a knock on the front door. Valerie felt afraid and wondered if it was the magical lady. What she would say to her? She was frightened to be face to face, alone with the illusive lady. But she went to the door and opened it. There stood not the lady, but a boy from her school holding a pair of magical purple kangaroo balloons.
“I saw you didn’t get one,” he said and handed Valerie the larger kangaroo. She took it and held it tightly. The boy smiled. Valerie smiled back and her cheeks shone red. She said thank you and goodbye and shut the door quickly, not wanting him to see how happy he made her.
The End
“Invisible people shouldn’t be able to feel,” she thought.
Valerie sat hunched over on the couch. Her parents weren’t home and wouldn’t be back from work for awhile. It was a square home, painted white with red trim and green hedges growing under the windows. The inside had two bedrooms and a living room that the kitchen looked out to. The walls were blue and there was a couch with a red floral pattern in the center of the living room that faced a television set they rarely used and a fish tank. The floor throughout the house was covered in laundry, cat toys and other debris.
One of the fish splashed water from the tank with its tail fin. Valerie looked up from the couch unimpressed, feeling blasé towards the entire world- she felt dull inside.
She hid her face in the pillow and wanted to cry, more from boredom than anything else. Then she heard the sound of someone’s voice, maybe two or more people’s voices coming from outside. She lifted her head from the pillow to listen but could not tell what they were saying.
She got up from the couch and walked out the side door to sneak around to the front of the house. She hid behind one of the green hedges. Standing on the sidewalk just outside her house, a crowd of people gathered around a short round lady selling balloons shaped like stuffed animals. The balloons came in identical pairs, one smaller than the other, like a mother and child. All different kinds of balloons, rabbits, birds, gargoyles, fish, and even a pair that looked exactly like the round lady.
Valerie, without knowing what she was doing walked slowly towards the crowd-drawn to it, but suspicious about the lady and the stuffed animal balloons. More people approached and others left, all with magical stuffed animal balloons in their hands.
The lady wore striped stockings and pointed shoes like a witch but her face looked like a dolls, frozen with a smile and rosy cheeks. Her hair was pinned up elaborately with curls and gems that didn’t look in any way out of place, but would rather have been quite disturbing to see her without. Her skirt was flared and black with golden frills, she wore a collard red blouse and a thick belt wrapped around her waist. Her entire image molded her so well that Valerie couldn’t imagine her ever looking any other way.
The magical stuffed animals floated like an ordinary balloon would but had the weight of a cotton filled stuffed animal. While suspended in the air and held only by a thin white string, they appeared as light as air.
She came only to sell her magical stuffed animals and would be leaving soon. She did not care if she sold them all or if she didn’t sell any-she was indifferent and simply wished to see what would happen if she tried .
Valerie considered all that was happening and mistrusted it. As she got closer by to get a better look at the lady, she felt shrunken by the crowd around her, they were all so eager, and she looked up at them envious of their desire but was not yet sure if she felt as they did.
People came from all directions. She did not know where they came from or how they knew the lady was even there, but everyone bought one, except one man. He wished to get one and was rather excited, flapping his hands about and laughing, but the lady refused saying that he had the wrong intensions and that only people with the right intentions could buy a stuffed animal. He asked how she could know and she told him to open his hands.
“I can see it in your palms,” she said.
She spoke so little that this statement startled Valerie.
The lady began repeating this same response to more and more people who tried to buy a stuffed animal. Valerie desperately wanted to know what the lady would think of her hands but felt afraid and hesitated.
Only three pairs of magical stuffed animal balloons remained when Valerie made up her mind and she quickly exposed her hands-feeling impulsive. But Valerie could not easily be seen in the crowd and the lady didn’t seem to notice her. One by one all of the balloons were sold with Valerie still holding her hands out to the magical lady. But the magical little lady who sold stuffed animal balloons outside her door left without a word, and walked down the street away from Valerie’s house until she vanished out of sight.
She went back inside and sat back down on the red floral couch. She felt dumfounded and sad. She wished more than ever she had bought a magical stuffed animal balloon and regretted it. But there was nothing she could do, they were gone and it was over.
There was a knock on the front door. Valerie felt afraid and wondered if it was the magical lady. What she would say to her? She was frightened to be face to face, alone with the illusive lady. But she went to the door and opened it. There stood not the lady, but a boy from her school holding a pair of magical purple kangaroo balloons.
“I saw you didn’t get one,” he said and handed Valerie the larger kangaroo. She took it and held it tightly. The boy smiled. Valerie smiled back and her cheeks shone red. She said thank you and goodbye and shut the door quickly, not wanting him to see how happy he made her.
The End