The Balloon Man

Different shapes, different sizes, different colours and more colours and my heart surmises.

Looking at those wonderous stuff on the cart, the actual non fiction things that can ride the air and take my messages across layers, wriggling its way higher and higher, with the sun still glinting the effervescent colour, the feeling is incredibly overwhelming.

But mommy tells me to stay away from him. Even Anne’s mommy does. They say he will kidnap us one day. She never lets me buy the balloon myself.

My heart weakens when he isn’t there everyday as he never misses, come what may. The everyday shout, “Balloons.. different shapes, different sizes, different colours and more colours…”

Mouse shape is my darling. And the yellow doll that I get for one shilling

As he huffs and puffs, as his lips touch the balloons and they get ready to touch the moon, I have never seen an iota of ‘its difficult’ on his visage which is not smiling, neither angry, nor upset. The gas ones are the best and cost two shillings but are definitely worth it.

The Balloon man didn’t come today.

There is no wind either.

As I climb up the tree to let go off the balloon that is stuck in one of the branches I am able to stare across the wall.

He sits there with his back towards the wall, looking deep into the emptiness of the air, occasionally staring at a picture in deep reverie.

Our eyes meet and he signals me to enter.

I enter the open houseless porch and he smiles at me. At this point I definitely hope to get one of the yellow doll balloons for free.

He grabs me from my hand, puts me into his sack and all I can feel next is suffocation and two feet that are running hard. All I do is shout for my mommy!
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I trust people. But it doesn’t always go my way!

Nothingman's Birthday

If given a choice Nothingman would say this- "I don't like celebrating my birthday. Frankly, I don't know what the significance of birthdays is anymore. It's not like I don't want to be reminded that I am old. I grow older every day. I mean I am only one day older than yesterday, not one year. To me, time is a relative thing. It is an arbitrary unit created by quantifying events that happen. Why does an hour have 60 minutes? Why 24 hours in one day? If the people who created the units on Mars, would we get the same results? Mass and length do.

Back to birthdays, I just don't like it because I don't know how to feel on that day. Happy and grateful that I've survived another year? Sad and depressed that I've grown older but not wiser? Angry that no one remembers or cares about it? I sometimes feel alone and I want to be alone. Sometimes I even want to forget that day even. Every year I plan to hide and not be known. But every year I will go through those feelings and I hate that uncomfortable feeling the whole day.

I feel like I want a celebration, but I don’t like telling others my birthday. It is like there isn’t a point in giving out that information because I am not going to get anything. Even with loved ones, good friends, they all don’t remember. I don’t want to be reminding them; that is just blunt.

Others celebrate their birthdays by throwing a party and inviting a lot of people. I don’t do that anymore. I used to give out sweets to everyone in class and close friends on my birthday because that is the thing to do. My last biggest celebration was when I was 10 when even my father’s friends came. I have no idea why. As I grew older, the parties got smaller, even to a point of just a wish from my family. We used to be able to pick our own presents and nothing was ever a big surprise. From the kiddie toys to the story books, everything was what I wanted. In my teenage years, my gifts became more like everything I needed, practical items. This, was always given by my sister. In the end, whenever I get gifts or receive any, I would prefer something more lasting. I don’t like perishable goods, like chocolates or candy.

For the past few years now, I didn’t get any presents for my birthday. I am just getting used to that. Then it hit me as to why… it is just another day.

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Sourced from the Internet. But this time Nothingman gets this on his birthday as somewhere he feels some part of this (That's what i think) But anyways Many Happy returns of the day

To You, With Love (Part 2)

Kirrin has got a job and is all set to start off. However Sam does not stay with his parents and sister anymore. But things have genuinely improved. It is surprising that now gifts are exchanged. Of course monetary gifts can’t fill the vacuum that has existed for so long. But it is a start for sure.

She smiles while talking about him and ya is looking forward to good things happening in his life, so much so that she has found the middle ground and made a little compromise even in her career, of course other reasons beckoning her this decision.

Things are nice, hale and hearty but with a lot more scope to perk up and get better. It is just that both of them do not want to say things to each other. As of now they are just trying to do little so that it is not apparent to both of them.

Today its her turn to handover the envelope as he waits for his flight. All it says is this

Everyday I want to fly, stay by my side
Everyday I want to dream, stay by my side
Every morning I wish I could just play
Wish the mornings were just days!

They both look at each other, smile, somewhere a little teary eyed but not showing off, (the bull is strong I know) and live happily ever after. (Happily ever after is not always a technicolour dream that Bollywood is getting tired of. Its for real at times!)
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Well brothers! The uncanny lot! But things always improve for better. Well all I can do is adore and cherish the relationship that I have seen growing in spite of knowing just one side of it (that too in bits and pieces.) This one is gift for someone and this is not a repetition of the same subject for making emotions to overflow. Hope haven’t taken too much of liberty but had to give this honest and final post. Lemme know if the removal of this one from here will make you more happy….
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The 4 lines are curtsey Vodafone commercial.
* a little edit by the future sub editor:P