Painting by Miranda Koerner

“Oh, how happy he’ll be.  How happy he’ll be, and how happy he’ll be with me!”

 The elephant hummed along to himself as he skipped along merrily.  Birthdays were wonderful, even when they were for someone else.  There was something about a birthday that made the day much more magical, from the moment one woke up until the moment their eyes closed.  Birthdays were automatically joyful, the elephant considered, as even the most dull of birthdays included cake and ice cream.

And balloons.  One could not have a proper birthday without balloons.  The little elephant was determined even if the cake was dry and the ice cream melted, his friend would at least have proper birthday balloons.

What cheerful balloons they were!  Blue and yellow and pink all bobbing about on long white ribbons that streamed until they touched the clouds.  His toes nearly didn’t touch the ground with every leap along the grassy way.  Suddenly, the elephant stopped in his tracks.  The most brilliant thought had occurred to him.

“Balloons are all very well,” he mused aloud, “But what about an entire houseful of balloons?  Oh, he would be so surprised!  He would be so thrilled!”

Well, there was simply only one thing for the elephant to do.  Looping the balloons tightly around his trunk, he skipped his way back to the shop, his toes barely touching the tips of the grass.  After carefully entering the store (tail first, balloons second), he inquired at the counter to the incredulous clerk.

“Pardon me, sir.  Do you have any more balloons?  Several dozen will do.”

After all, there’s no such thing as a happy birthday without balloons.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  A new update on Queen Bitty mañana! 

My Etsy shop just opened!  Check it out! 

For more fun, visit my sister blog, Words n'Whimsy or sign up for my newsletter (both buttons on sidebar!)

More