Earnest & The Helium Balloon

It ‘twas the middle of October, a day, unlike this rest. It wasn’t just the red, orange, and yellow leaves in view that colored excitement in the air. Today was different. Today was the last day of the State Fair.

A time where extroverted girls and boys are filled with anticipation. With plenty to do and plenty to see. This day was guaranteed to feel like the longest day of the year. Earnest waited for this day to arrive. He had dreamed about it for oh so long. As happy as he was – he was also determined to win something. He felt ambition racing through him like warm lights rising from the darkness. He knew he wanted not only to win but to have fun.

Where could he go first? Earnest was as close to his name as one could get. Filled with intention and a pocket of anxiousness – he tried with all of his power to focus. Before he knew it – all time had passed and he had only one game left to play before the fair closed.

Earnest had a lot of fun but very little to none chances at winning – this was his only shot. He kissed his hands as he held the hammer tightly. He wanted to hit the ball as hard as he could so the pinpoint could ring all the way up to a 100 Skies. Bam! He hit – to his pleasant surprise he was only 14 points away from 100. The attendant yelled: “EIGHTY-SIX! Congratulations you won the last red balloon of the evening!”

Earnest snickered with excitement! Not only did he have a loaded time but he finally won a prize worth taking home! Earnest held to the thin rope which held the balloon in place. On his way back home he noticed just how windy the day had turned. The leaves seemed to blow harder while the balloon swayed with it.

Earnest noticed, however, even when the wind wasn’t windy – his new found friend didn’t seem to want to stay with him. He decided he would tie it around his trousers to prevent it from wandering off. As he pulled the balloon closely to him – he held it with both hands lightly as to not pop it. In flash moment, his grip loosened a bit but the balloon nearly flew away. He was convinced it didn’t want to be his friend. The balloon seemed to go up with a force not found in the wind.

He carefully tied a knot on his trousers and hurried home before it could escape again. Puzzled by the floating balloon he searched on the internet about what strange phenomena would possess a balloon to fly away.

He pronounced the words slowly:

H-E-L-I-U-M.

He learned it wasn’t the balloon itself but a chemical lighter than air which caused the balloon to rise. Earnest smiled because he then realized:

Everything ain’t that deep. Sometimes you come to have fun. You might win. You might lose and what you gain can still slip away. Doesn’t mean it has intentions. Life doesn’t have to have a purpose in between your own desires. So come, to the fair for fun – cause if not for fun – what’s the experience for anyway?