There once was a balloon. It is inflated with helium, and tethered to a nearby fence post. It doesn't like being tied to a post, though. It always dreams of a day where it can be released from this constricting string. It longed to climb the skies, see the earth and all its beauty, and, of the highest importance, to surpass all its neighbours, more balloons tied to the same railing, each with different sizes and colours. Some have a dull white or black on them, while some have a humble blue or green. Others, well, have an arrogant red or yellow demeanor. Some are rather thin with their gas, the age-old wrinkles showing up here and there, while some have the buoyant gas filled to their brims, ready to break through the railing once and for all.
A child happens to come by the balloons, tied to the railing near the street. This child could be the chance of the balloons to finally escape the restrictions on them! Immediately, the balloons pushed each other apart, trying to catch the attention of the child. The red one pushed away his neighbour, the yellow one, while being pushed away by its green neighbour. A multitude of colours simply clashing into each other relentlessly. How wonderful, how fascinating.
The yellow balloon finally won. The child paid a dollar to the salesman, and took away the yellow balloon. While the other balloons watched in envy (and some, even disgust), the yellow balloon cruised its way from the railing, never to be tied again. Is this what freedom is? Is this the feeling of fresh, pure liberation? Not yet. It soon realized that its pompous yellow body is still tethered, not to the railing, but to the child's hand. Alas! Its desires cannot be satisfied easily...
As if god himself heard the prayers of the balloon, a wind suddenly arose from the east. Overcome with joy, the yellow ball of gas struggled to escape its owner's grasp.
This could be it! This could be the only chance to eternal freedom!
After its repeated writhing, the string finally broke, and the yellow balloon rose up into the air. Freedom! It is the smell of liberation! The owner becomes smaller and smaller, and its view becomes wider and wider. It saw its past neighbours, the green balloon, still as miserable as it is, the red balloon, still angry and envious as it is. All that shrunk into a mere dot in seconds. The yellow balloon is overcome with joy: Its wish finally came true! No more tethering, no more restrictions, no more...
It could not continue its thoughts. Why? As the yellow ball of hot air rises, the air becomes thinner, and thinner, and thinner... Its thoughts becomes thinner, thinner and thinner too.
What... is... this?... I... don't... want...
A pop, too light to be audible. A death, too insignificant to be recorded.
