The Red Balloon
Kindness has a Way of Making Your Day
By Sufi, Age 13
It was a hot summer day. Not too hot nor too cold. That kind of day only comes once in a while and, when it comes, you don’t waste it. As I was getting ready to cool off in the crystal blue water, my mother smothered me in sunscreen, which is my favorite smell of summer. So clean and fresh, it protects me from the hot sun. I felt the moist and soft texture of sunscreen not missing a single part of my body.
I heard the muffled voices of all the locals having their own private conversations combined with the sounds of laughter and joy. Grains of sand hit my legs, while the wind blew making a hushed and peaceful melody. Along with that, came the calm and mysterious sounds of the ocean hitting shore. As I sat on the cot, I felt the cool and refreshing taste of the soda hit my taste buds. I noticed there wasn’t a cloud in sight. I was holding my lucky pin, which I found in Disney World, so no wonder it was the perfect day. Oh how lucky this pin is. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, I thought to myself. The sun took over the sky and brought joy and happiness. It reminded the locals on the beach that nothing could ruin this day.
I suddenly saw something, not white, dull and fluffy (like the clouds), but red, vibrant and loud. It floated in the sky peacefully as it passed the people splashing in the water. It looked down upon us, as it left us behind. But it seemed that I was the only one to notice that there was a balloon hovering above us. No one else cared to look up. They were either busy splashing in the water, or running along the grainy sand. Some of them were listening to gossip or relaxing, not giving a thought to what was around them. But I cared; I wondered where the balloon started off. The balloon probably began its journey in a small child’s hand, who wasn’t strong enough to hold it in the grip of his palm. I can easily imagine it floating away while the child balled his eyes out.
Picture it, just picture it. The child had to be about three years old and the balloon was probably for a little boy. I thought this because it is common for a little boy’s favorite color to be red. Let’s think of a name, shall we? How about Marvin? His mother and father are holding him in their arms asking him to point at the balloon he wants. I imagine his mother wearing a long, flowy dress and she has a smile as bright as the sun. The father is as joyful and is dressed casually.
The son answers in his squeaky voice, “I want the red one.”
The balloon vendor cuts the balloon from the rest while Marvin’s sight never leaves the balloon.
“My balloon, my balloon, give me my balloon.”
The balloon is now Marvin’s and he holds it with pride. He and his parents wave bye to the balloon vendor, and stroll down the sidewalk.
Marvin sees a dog and says, “Doggy, I want to touch it.”
“You want to pet the doggy? Alright, but you first have to ask the nice man walking the dog in a polite manner.”
“Can I please pet the doggy? I like how it is itty bitty,” asked the innocent three year-old.
“Well, of course you can.”
As Marvin climbed from his father’s arms, he pet the doggy with one hand, hoping the owner would notice his red balloon. He was so distracted by the fluffy creature, which seemed whimsical in this three-year old’s eyes, that his grasp got weaker and weaker and he couldn’t feel the thin string slip through his hand.
He has a perplexed expression and looks up and behind him. “My balloon, no come back, I’m sorry balloon,” said Marvin whose lip started to quiver as frustration was his only emotion. He didn’t care about what was around him. All he cared about was the one thing he was responsible for. Nothing could cheer him up now.
I asked myself, “How can I imagine this? This whole scenario about a heartbroken child? Imagine if something like that happened to me, I would be devastated.”
“What was that dear?” asked my mother in her good-natured tone, looking for a comfortable position on the cot.
“Did we see a little boy while we were driving here, about three-years old?” I asked my mother.
“Yes, we did. Oh poor child was crying over that red balloon he let go of.”
“Mom, I need a favor?” I asked with a brilliant plan that struck my head like a lightning bolt.
“I need you to take me to that same sidewalk where we saw the little boy. It will only take a minute. I sure hope he is still there,” I said in a tone, that implied I wanted to go very much.
“Alright dear, what are you planning on doing?” asked my mother in her gentle tone.
“You’ll see.”
I rushed to the car, and grains of sand irritated my legs. The moist texture of the sunscreen made me itchy along with the sand. When we finally reached the sidewalk, across the street I saw the little boy in tears as his parents were trying to console him. I looked at my pin and said, “Goodbye old friend! You have helped me through many times and now you will be lucky to another, someone who needs it more than me.” I opened the car door and walked across the street.
“How about a nice ice cream cone, with fudge sprinkles all covered on the top in a waffle cone?” asked the mother trying to cheer up the heartbroken child.
“No, it’s not my balloon,” answered the angry toddler.
“Excuse me? I saw your son crying and I have something that might cheer him up,” said Sufi as she was waiting for an answer.
“Oh that is so kind of you. We’ll give it a shot. We appreciate your good nature either way,” said the parents. Their smile never left their faces.
“Hi, I’m Sufi what’s your name?” I kneeled down to the mini-sized human.
“I’m Marvin.”
“So I was right. His name was Marvin,” I thought to myself, making a satisfied face.
“Well Marvin, I heard you lost a friend,” I said hoping to get an answer.
“My balloon, all gone,” replied Marvin.
“I may have something that might cheer you up,” I said with the pin behind my back.
“Really, better than my balloon?” asked the excited 3 year-old.
“Yes, would you like to see it?” I asked, hoping the child would say yes.
“Okay.” I took it out and presented it to the child. All he could say was, “Mickey mouse, I love Mickey mouse and look Goofy.”
“This pin is good luck and only brings good things your way.”
“Like what?” asked Marvin.
“Like puppies, icecream, cookies, friends, family, superheroes, and special bedtime stories, but most importantly it brings a smile to the person it belongs to, so you,” I said.
“Me, really thank you, thank you. Oh! I love it,” cried Marvin. I put it in Marvin’s hand as he showed his parents. They were so relieved it actually worked.
My work here was complete. From a distance, I was able to see Marvin’s parents thanking me and giving me a thumbs up. I was just happy that I was able to stop Marvin’s tears. So I sighed and told myself, “Congratulations, you learnt how to not waste your day,” as I walked into the car and told my mom “Come on, let’s go for a swim.”
