Thomas the balloon

Preface: this is one of several unique bedtime stories that we read to our little ones: unique, we know, because we made them up ourselves. The following story is based on what actually happened on Boo's 18 month birthday, three months before Skibo appeared: we knew that we'd need the crib for him, so we decided to get Boo her own bed. We did eventually get the bed that day, but serendipity intervened first.
This is now often a requested bedtime story after we've read books and the lights are out, and they are ready to be asleep.
Yours, sitting comfortably,
N.

Thomas the Balloon

Many years ago, beloved Boo, before Skibo was born, when he was still inside Mummy's tummy, Mummy and Daddy asked you if you wanted to get a big girl bed. After all, you were 18 months old, and so grown up already: and you said that you would like a big girl bed.

So one Saturday morning, in May, Mummy and Daddy put you into your car seat, and clunked you in, saying

"Clunk-click, every trip, keeps my baby safe!"

And off we went down the road to find a bed store.

As we drove down the road, we sang songs together, and you joined in singing words from "Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green". As we drove along, Mummy suddenly pointed in the sky, and said

"Look! There's a balloon!"

And sure enough, there in the sky was a big balloon, with yellow and red and green stripes, and a basket hanging underneath it. And in the basket were two people, waving at all the passers-by below!

And then you pointed too, and said

"Look, another balloon!"

and sure enough, there was another balloon, black and blue and red, and then there was another, and another, and another, until the sky was filled with balloons, hundreds of balloons! And so, before finding a big girl bed for Boo, we all stopped the car and got out to watch the balloons floating by.
There was a balloon shaped like a teddy bear, there was a balloon shaped like the energizer bunny, there was even a balloon which looked like an apple being eaten by a worm.
But the best balloon of all, Boo, was when you saw a balloon that looked like a train, and you pointed to it and you said,

"Look, it's Thomas the balloon!"

Copyright 2004 breadboxy (at) g m a i l (d ot) c o m.