Tale 88- The Magical Balloon

 The Traveler found herself close to a city, on the outskirts and in the company of several children, who were all playing in an alley. One of them suddenly threw a ball her way, which she deftly caught and returned, the little girl thanking her and walking toward her, now curious as to who the stranger was. The Traveler smiled down at her, despite everything, she still felt protective and caring toward those who were younger than her. As she stared at the child, the little girl walked back toward her friends, the group starting up a conversation all about transport, and the girl claimed she saw something amazing the other night, the Traveler becoming curious and listening to the girl tell the tale of ‘the Magical Balloon’

‘Once, on a dark, cold night, a little girl peeked out of her window and stared up at the stars. Though there were many, she grew tired of counting them and instead gazed across the seemingly endless sea of buildings from the city further away, until something magical caught her eye. A brightly coloured balloon sailed above the expanse of lights, puffing out steam and carrying a man and woman away from their home. Over the buildings they flew, the man piloting the flying machine whilst the woman gazed at the sights in wonder, curious about what lay below and staring down as, likewise, people began to look up in awe. From above, everything likely looked so tiny, and the woman gazed down, the man pulling a cord and a loud, victorious horn sounding over the entire city, the man so glad his invention worked. As they flew away, the little girl watched the smoke trail cease, and wondered where their journey could take them.’

The Traveler finished writing the tale, before smiling down as the rest of the children held out their arms, pretending they were flying, and the little girl ran off as their ringleader, sending the entire group out of the alley and toward the sunlight. And likewise, the Traveler walked away into the sunlight, glad to have found another tale and feeling herself grow slightly better as each day passed.

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