Cal Lightman twisted, pumped, squeezed, and turned until the animal came to life, Looking down at, it he was satisfied with the result. It was amazing how you could make something out of nothing. He just wished he had someone to share it with. He knew it was after ten, but he wondered if Gillian was still in the building. She would appreciate such a fine specimen, and he was sure she would be surprised by what he was capable of. Cal held it in his hands hoping that the pressure from his fingers wouldn't make it explode like the last time he had wanted to show it to Gillian
"What are you doing?" Gillian Foster said, striding through his door a huge grin on her face, one eyebrow cocked.
"What's it look like I'm doing?" Cal said, standing up and thrusting out his handiwork for her to see. "I made it for you."
Gillian laughed and reached out to touch it, hoping it didn't burst.
"What's it supposed to be?" she asked, admiring it.
"It's a giraffe," he said, pointing to the middle part. "Can't you see the long neck."
"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked, always amazed by the feats this man was capable of.
"Taught myself," he replied. "It was a good way to pick up the ladies when I was in college. You think it would still work?"
Gillian bent over in laughter. This was a side of Cal she'd never seen before.
"What?" he said. "Everybody likes balloon animals."
At that moment, the animal in Gillian's hand popped, startling them both.
Cal pulled another balloon from his desk and held it up.
"How about a monkey?"
A/N: You knew I was talking about balloon animals the whole time, didn't you?