“If you put it in the freezer, it’ll keep it from deflating.” said the balloon man when I inquired how to preserve the newly created unicorn.
We were at a company function with a bunch of families and their brood, and the organizer had been especially good about providing appropriate and fun entertainment to keep everyone occupied. Having been at some seriously bad and excruciatingly boring corp events, this one was a pleasant and refreshing surprise and an example of what heaven on earth could be.
No one felt the urge to leave early, or felt the need to make excuses when they did. There was every reason to stay. A baseball field was in full use, the horseshoes were thrown with some measure of skill, with other adult games in abundant supply. Found myself with the kids though, throwing glitter, feathers and crayon scraps together to craft some amazing thing. Then kept noticing the kids would wander off and return with various new adornments of colorful animals or crowns made of balloons wrapped around them. Wondering where they were getting them from, spied the balloon man deep in the shadows, surrounded by admirers each waiting for their own special request to be made.
I had sorta finished my gluing adventure and was sitting back to admire the effect, and mused about how every child around me now had been colorfully gifted with very elaborate balloons sculptures. Silly me, I wanted one too. Especially a unicorn.
I waited till later in the day after the watermelon and cookies were devoured, and the crowd had thinned a bit, to venture over to visit the balloon creationist. He was finishing up another crown for a little one who then ran off in glee to show his mother. I timidly asked if I too could have one thinking I was being rather childish in the request. He’d been working all day and probably was exhausted from the demand for his art. He looked up with no sigh of distress or judgement and asked what I’d like. As I blurted out “a white unicorn,” the idea was formed in my mind to match his creation with my own, an idea to make a beaded unicorn became my next quest.