Mr. Balloon

There was once a balloon who was tied in an insignificant bench in a park. No one knows why a balloon was left alone in a bench, all except Mr. Balloon himself.

Mr. Balloon is a plain blue balloon with a printed smiling face on one side. Among other balloons, Mr. Balloon considered himself as boring due to the fact that he is just a "plain" balloon.

Like any other balloons, no matter how plain he is, Mr. Balloon still knew that he will still attract some kids in the park. And so Mr. Balloon, after all he's been through, decided that he will not be an easy-to-acquire balloon again. He decided to make a simple test.

At around midday, a little boy approached Mr. Balloon. Like any other kids in the park, this boy had dirty clothes because of playing in the grass. The curious eyes of the boy twinkled as he approached the balloon. Before the boy touched his face, Mr. Balloon stopped him.

"Wait just a moment, little kid." Mr. Balloon said. "Before you get a hold me, I will ask you a single question.

"If you answered correctly, I am yours. If you answered wrong then, I'm afraid that you won't have me" Mr. Balloon continued.

With these simple sentences, the boy slowly nodded on agreement with Mr. Balloon. Mr. Balloon replied with a big printed smile since he doesn't have other facial expression.

"Well then, here's the question." Mr. Balloon uttered softly. "Am I happy?"

The boy stood still for a moment, dumbfounded because of the question of Mr. Balloon.

"Is that it?" the boy asked.

"Yes. That's it. It's pretty easy." Mr. Balloon replied. The boy smiled because it was clearly his win.

"My answer is yes." the boy said. "You are smiling, aren't you? That means that you're happy."

"That's true. I am smiling." Mr. Balloon replied.

"I'm right, am I not?"

"Well, if you think that I'm happy, you must leave me be so that I will stay happy." Mr. Balloon said.

The boy just nodded sadly and went away to play with his friends. And so, Mr. Balloon was left alone in the bench.

Minutes later, another child approached Mr. Balloon. This time it was a little girl. The girl wore an expensive dress that matched with her silky blonde hair.

Again, before the girl touched Mr. Balloon's face he asked her a question.

"Am I happy?" Mr. Balloon said.

The girl smiled mischievously. "Ha, you won't trick me. I saw what you did with that boy."

Mr. Balloon just replied again with a smile.

"My answer is no. Since 'yes' is wrong, the answer should be 'no', right?" the girl said. "If you're not happy then you should be sad."

"If you think that I'm sad then you should leave me be." Mr. Balloon said. "Nothing good will come to you if you embrace something that is sad."

The girl just snorted and went away. And again, Mr. Balloon was alone again.

It was nearly sunset when someone approached Mr. Balloon again. This time it was an adult man. The man sat carelessly in the bench where Mr. Balloon was tied. It took a moment for the man to notice the plain balloon. Again, he was about to touch it when Mr. Balloon interrupted him.

"Before you touch me, I must ask you first a question." Mr. Balloon started.

"Oh, okay." the man said. "I don't have to do anything so I'll take you on that offer."

"Am I happy?" Mr. Balloon asked.

"That's it?" the man asked like the boy who first approached Mr. Balloon. But, unlike the boy, he didn't smile.

"Yes. It might be simple but both of the kids who tried to answer it failed to tell me the correct answer." Mr. Balloon said. "One said that I'm happy, the other said that I'm sad. They are both wrong."

The man thought for a moment and studied the lifeless smiling face printed on the balloon. At last, he spoke up.

"No. I don't think you're happy." the man said.

"Well, if you think-"

"But I don't think that you're sad either." the man interrupted.

"I think that you're just trying to make others describe what you feel because you don't even know what you feel." the man continued. "In other words, you are empty."

A moment of silence passed between them as the both of them thought by themselves.

"Very well." Mr. Balloon broke the silence. "You presented me an answer that I cannot prove wrong. I am yours now."

"Oh, is that part of the deal?" the man asked.

"It's the start and end of all that single question. You're free to do whatever you want with me."

"Okay then." the man said as he started to untie Mr. Balloon from the bench.

In these moment, Mr. Balloon is silently thinking of what would happen next. He wondered what will the man do to him. Countless questions ran in his mind as the man untie him from the bench. Will he be left alone again like a plain old balloon?

When he looked again, the man and the bench was gone. He only saw a clear blue sky. After some moments, he finally knew what was happening. He was floating. The man set him free. The wind suddenly caught up and turned Mr. Balloon's face so that he was facing the horizon. And there, he saw the sunset. The orange sun was blending with the same colored sea. It was beautiful.

As he was gazing over the beautiful sunset, only one question was left in Mr. Balloon's mind.

Am I happy?

Mr. Balloon just quietly smiled while looking at the sunset for he already knew the answer.