(Come on....you know you want to.)
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| Standard Text Balloons |
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| Mexican-In-Residence |
Dear Dilettante,
Ease off on the boutique soap by wrapping cheap generic soap bars in the expensive boutique wrappings. This will trick your despairing mind into thinking you’re still consuming expensive soap without the actual cost. We also recommend a good anti-acid.
Sincerely,
The Management
Dear Surveillance,Wow! A Zeiss Infrared. Does that come with a covert illumination at 950nm wavelength? Uh…naturally, we don’t condone this sort of behavior – unless it’s our Mexican-In-Residence; he’s a little creepy when it comes to observational behavior. Oh sure, he says he’s doing research but we think…well – and we strongly advise you observe the terms of the Restraining Order.
Sincerely,
The Management
Dear Pencil,
Did you have a question?
Sincerely,
The Management
Dear Unrequited,
Now is not the time to rush into life changing decisions. One of our group – we won’t mention any names but you know who we’re talking about – gave up the letter O after a most severe query letter critique. He … or she… had to perform a great many Search and Replace functions on his…or her… manuscript accepting back the letter O. As for your dysfunction muse, we suggest a 12 Step Program. There’s no shame in seeking help. A certain member of our group – again we won’t mention any names but you know who we’re talking about – admits he…or she…is powerless over his/her muse.
Sincerely,
The Management
A young sparrow headed for shelter one afternoon. A heavy storm was brewing and the dark clouds were ready to burst. He flapped his wings wildly and tried to maintain his balance. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, three unusual creatures appeared before his eyes. They had huge, round bodies and no eyes. As they glided by, their tails swished back and forth. The sparrow warned them about the storm but the strange beasts never said a word. They simply chose to ignore him. The little bird watched them scurry into the clouds and then they fizzled out. “Too bad,” he said. “I did try to warn them.”2) Lora Mitchell
LITTLE CHICK3) Nicole Popel
An array of colored balloons are bundled together waiting to be hung in the hay barn for Susie's birthday party. During the hustle and bustle of preparations, a brisk northern breeze loosens three balloons from its cluster and, as if delighted to be free, two of them sail away to play tag in the sky. The third balloon, a blue one, wavers to and fro on its own; its tail trailing behind in a lazy manner. When the breeze calms down, it floats to a powder landing and settles in the rafters near a haystack where newly-hatched Hummingbird chicks lay warm in their cozy nest of freshly-stacked grass and dry, golden hay. During the happy festivities, mother Hummingbird keeps close watch and circles the rafters to protect her brood. Frightened by the children's laughter and noisy squeals, she carries her sightless chicks one-by-one to a safe hollow in a nearby willow tree. In haste, she loses count and accidentally leaves the smallest behind. When Little Chick opens his bleary eyes, the first thing he sees is the stray blue balloon resting softly beside him and chirps out with glee, "Mama."
“I’m flying to the moon,” chirped Tweet as he sped past several lazy balloons floating in the afternoon sky. He could just imagine the headlines on the Bird Watcher Gazette: Astrobird Makes Space History! Small Sparrow does Moon Walk! Soon he would be shaking his wing with VIPs everywhere. Then, crash! Tweet got dizzy and began tumbling in the air.
Clouds. You can't see them when you're in them.5) Tanja
Was there ever a song, 'Let's go fly a cloud?' Well, there is one now. It's delightful up here. I won't ever come down. Look. A baloon. And another and another. Ah, this is fun but I'm getting hungry and forgot my lunch. Will you bring me lunch? No? Can I come back on my cloud if I come down? Why not? Who wrote these rules? Let's change them so we can keep flying our clouds. Mmmm, that pizza smells good. Just one big bite. Think of it. Yum. I don't want to leave, but . . . Well, it's been nice flying with you. Bye.
It was soon after he heard the Flight of the Bumblebee that Chickadee decided to experiment. After all, his type of hummingbird was smaller than a bumblebee, and he’d read somewhere that according to the laws of aerodynamics, the bee was not supposed to fly, and yet it did. Why, someone had even written a book about it. All his brethren and sisteren had hied off, out of the nest, days before. Yet he was afraid. They called him chicken, but he insisted that he was a hummingbird, like them… In the event, he waited until he felt the Empty Nest Syndrome… mother and father were off searching for grubs, siblings off to play in the Great Beyond, and then – he flew!6) Kim
Planning a garden party is a lot of work. I had just stepped back inside my burrow to gather the tablecloths and streamers when I heard Sheila Sparrow calling "Gretel Groundhog, your balloooooons!" As I turned to look out the window, I saw Sheila and some balloons being whisked away by a powerful burst of wind. I'll never finish in time now!7) Farida Mizra
“Invasion! Aliens!” called out the bee-watch-bird guarding the skies.
Three balloons were floating up.
Flocks and flocks of birds flew in immediately to drive away the invaders.
“Free at last! Free at last!” two of the balloons laughed as they bounced and waved upwards.
The third balloon was quiet as it trailed behind.
The birds looked curiously at the balloons.
