Today, a large fair is in town, and I go with Mommy and Dave. Daddy doesn't come with us. He has to work. He always has to work. So he is not visiting the fair with us today.
It's a very large fair. The whole town is gathered at the fairground. So many people. And it's loud, so loud. I let go of Mommy's hand and cover my ears.
"Johnny, take my hand" My Mommy says. "I don't want to lose you. Do you want me to get worried?" I shake my head. Mommy reaches out her hand, and I grab it and hold it very, very tight. I don't want to lose my Mommy. I do not want her to worry. I love my Mommy!
As we keep moving Dave begins to joke about monkeys. Dave's jokes are not funny, but Mommy always laughs about his jokes. She often laughs. I like it, when my Mommy laughs. Daddy does not laugh as often as Mommy. He's not a funny person. He's always so serious. My Mommy is a funny person.
At the fair, there are plenty of stalls where you can buy goodies. Toffee apples, colorful sweets, cotton candy and popcorn. I like popcorn. Mommy buys me some. Dave gets cotton candy. Daddy never buys us sweets. He wants us to eat healthy food.
We sit down on a bench and enjoy our goodies. A large man with very long legs and a funny hat approaches us, leans down and gives my Mommy a rose. She smiles, closes her eyes and sniffs at the rose. Daddy never brings Mommy flowers.
"Thank you, Sir" My Mommy says. The big man lifts his hat, than he leaves. Mommy looks after him until he disappears in the crowd. I look at the rose my Mommy is holding. She is red, like Mommy's dress. I look at my Mommy. She smiles. She's very pretty when she smiles.
„You're pretty, Mommy." I say and smile at her. "I like your dress."
Mommy says nothing, but her smile gets wider. She looks at me and strokes my head. I have black hair, just like her. And green eyes, just like her. I look like my Mommy. Dave, whose face is full of cotton candy, looks like our Daddy, blond, freckled and blue eyed.
"Where do you want to go next?" Mommy asks.
"I want to see the clowns." Dave says. "Please, Mom." Dave calls Mommy, Mom '. He's older than me, and older children call her Mommy, Mom '. I think that sounds stupid. I call Mommy, Mommy '.
"I don't know." Mommy answers. "What do you think, Johnny? Do you want to see the clowns, too?" I don't like the clowns. They're scary. So I shake my head.
"I want to have a ride on the carousel." I say. I love the carousel. The blue plane is mine. This year it will be mine again. I'm very excited. Dave is angry that we don't go to the clowns, and watches us sulking while Mommy and I have a ride on the carousel. One round, two rounds, three rounds, four rounds ...
I feel dizzy when Mommy lifts me out of my plane. Dave's no longer alone. Daddy is with him. He sits next to Dave and is waiting for me and Mommy. When I see him, I get sad. I don't want Daddy here. Why isn't he working like he always is?
„Patrick?" Mommy sounds surprised. Daddy does not go to fairs. He does not fit here. He never wears jeans or t-shirts, only suits. Today he is wearing a gray suit and a white shirt.
"Hey." My Daddy says and kisses my Mommy. "Hey, Johnnyboy." He greets me and lifts me up. He smiles. Daddy never smiles. Today he's smiling. He seems happy. His hair looks disheveled. Just like mine, only it is blond and not black.
Since Daddy is here, Mommy no longer laughs. She talks with Daddy. Dave runs a few steps ahead of us. I hold Mommy's hand tightly. Daddy holds her other hand and talks quietly with her. I cannot hear what he's saying. Mommy is listening to him.
Later, Daddy buys me a ballon. It's red. Like Mommy's dress and the rose. It's a great ballon. I like ballons and I like red. I like my red ballon. I'll keep him. Forever. My red ballon.
Shortly afterwards my balloon is gone. I cry when I see him fly away. My balloon, my beautiful red balloon! The cord just slips out of my hands. Higher and higher my ballon rises in the sky. I cry. My balloon flies above the street, is carried away by the wind.
"Johnny, look!" My Mommy points to a tree across the road. My ballon! My beautiful red ballon is caught in the branches. My Mommy runs off to retrieve my balloon. At the streets corner, she stops, looks right, looks left, go.
A squeal. A cry. My balloon flies away. My Mommy does not follow it.
"KATHERINE!" Daddy screams. "KATHERINE ... NO!" He cries. Daddy often screams, but I've never heard him scream like this. He crosses the road without looking out for cars. Everywhere is glass. I hope he doesn't get hurt. I once cut myself on broken glass. It hurt. I cried. It was bleeding.
Blood. There is blood on the road. A big pool of blood and it's still growing.
"KATHERINE!" Daddy screams.
"Mommy?" Dave cries.
„Oh… oh, my God!" That's a voice I don't know. I look up to the sky. My beautiful red ballon is far above the roofs. I'm sad. I will not get it back. It's too late.
"The children! Somebody needs to take the children!" I hear someone screaming. "Oh, God, call an ambulance! The children… Take the children!"
People run to the street. They're screaming. Something has happened! I don't see anything. They're so many people. Dave follows me and is calling my name. Hands trying to grab me, but I just keep walking. Daddy, where's my daddy? Mommy? Where is my Mommy?
"Katherine? Katherine, oh, please, honey, wake up! No ... no, please don't." Daddy sounds sad. I run faster in order to find him. Suddenly I slip and fall down. I land in something wet, a pool of blood. The blood smells awful. Its smell makes me sick. I start to cry. My hands, my arms, my legs are full of the stinking blood. My pants and my t-shirt are dirty, too. My Mommy will be very angry when she sees this.
She has not noticed it yet. She's sleeping. She sleeps on the road. She lies on her back with her eyes closed. How can she sleeps on the road? It's too dangerous! A car may hit her!
„Mommy, wake up!" I cry. Daddy is kneeling in front of her and shakes her sleeping body. He tries to wake her, too.
"Mommy, you cannot sleep on the road!" I tell her. "It's too dangerous." My Mommy does not wake up. She's very fast asleep.
"Mommy! Wake up! Please, Mommy. It's dangerous!"
My mommy does not wake up. She peacefully sleeps in the big pool of blood. Why I cannot wake her? She needs to get up! But she's still aslepp, and suddenly I feel tired to. I yawn and get down beside my mommy. She feels cold, but I don't care. I'm tired. I'll sleep, just like my Mommy. I close my eyes. When I wake up, my Mommy will be there, waiting for me. She is always there when I wake up in the mornings.
Just before I fall asleep, I think about my ballon. I will never see my beautiful red ballon again. He is gone. Mommy could not catch it. That's sad, but I'm sure my Mommy will buy me a new one. When she wakes up.
I'm already looking forward to it.
The End