Ballad of the Red Balloon

Ballad of the Red Balloon





Elyse trembled as she held the guitar pick, the tiny shard cold against her skin. She hadn't played in weeks. Not since her twin vanished. The familiar weight of the guitar settled against her chest. Almost convincing herself that she could still summon the sound of strings, that hint of a tune that would fill the ache inside her. No matter how hard she tried, the quiet hum of her own heartbeat and the wind stirring outside her small apartment filled the room.

The pick felt like a piece of him. Eliam had been the musician, always pulling out his guitar, making magic with every note. Now, she sat on the floor, alone, his music as unreachable as the stars. Still, something about tonight--the way the air pulsed with energy--made her want to try again. She set her thumb against the pick, fingers curling instinctively around it.

A soft *thump* on the window startled her. Her heart skipped a beat. She stood, crossing the room, peering through the glass.

A red balloon hovered outside the window, tethered to a thin string undulating in the breeze.

Elyse's brow furrowed. Where did it come from? It wasn't her birthday. She slid the window open, staring at the balloon. It bobbed in the air as if waiting for something. But what?

She reached for the string, gripping it tightly as she tugged the balloon inside. For a second, she thought about letting it float away. But something tugged at her--a connection she couldn't explain. Maybe it was a sign.

The faintest scrape of wood sounded behind her. She froze. She hadn't heard that in months: the wicker basket, the one Eliam used for his sheet music and guitar picks, slid across the floor.

Elyse spun around. She'd tucked the basket in the far corner of her apartment, near the window. Now, it inched forward, moving with slow, deliberate precision, pulled by an invisible hand.

"Eliam?" she whispered.

The only response was the faint rustle of the balloon, the creak of the basket shifting ever closer to her. Instincts screamed at her to step back. Curiosity rooted her to the spot.

She stepped forward. The basket stopped, rocked slightly, as though acknowledging her presence.

"I--I don't know what you want from me," Elyse said, her words shaky. But the only answer she received was a soft rustling, like paper fluttering in the wind.

Elyse moved toward it, every step an effort of will. As her fingers brushed the wicker, something inside her snapped into place, like a door opening she hadn't realized was locked. A surge of warmth spread through her. The same warmth she felt when Eliam played in their living room, when they laughed about nothing, when the world still made sense.

The basket tilted, revealing a folded piece of paper wedged beneath the edge. Lucy pulled it free with trembling hands, unfolding it slowly, her heart racing in her chest.

It was a note, written in a messy scrawl she immediately recognized.

"Find the music. Find the place where the red balloon waits. When you play the song, You'll find me. ~Eliam."

Elyse shuddered. Her eyes flicked from the note to the balloon floating nearby, the words on the page weighing in her mind.

Find the music.

Her fingers tightened around the pick she'd left next to her guitar, the one Eliam used the last time he played--before he vanished. No doubt in her mind now. This was the message. Eliam left a trail, and the song was key to finding him.

She took the guitar, calling her like an old friend. Lucy sat down, the instrument feeling foreign in her hands. She strummed once, twice--just testing, but the sound was wrong.

No, she thought. This isn't how it's supposed to be. You know how to do this. You've always known.

With a deep breath, she began again, fingers dancing across the strings in a simple, soft tune, one that felt both alien and familiar at the same time. She closed her eyes and played. The music guided her, pulling her in a direction she could not see, but felt deep within her bones. She couldn't explain it, but knew this was what she had to do.

The red balloon hovered in her peripheral vision, as though suspended in time, waiting for the moment to come.

And then--there it was.

A flash of light, so bright and sudden that it almost blinded her. Elyse's fingers froze in place. The room bent, the walls warped and distorted; the air grew thick with a strange energy.

When her vision cleared, her apartment was gone.

She stood in a dense, otherworldly forest, the air heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth. The ground beneath her feet was soft, a path winding before her like a trail to an unknown destination.

There, floating just ahead, was the red balloon.

No longer tethered to the string, it drifted, waiting for her to follow. Without thinking, Lucy picked up her pace, heart pounding in her chest. The music echoed in her mind, a soft lullaby guiding her deeper into the forest.

She didn't know where she was going, but knew she had to follow the balloon. If she did, maybe--just maybe--she'd find Eliam.

The path led her to a clearing where an ancient oak tree stood tall, branches stretching toward the heavens. Beneath it stood her twin, Eliam. Eyes closed, guitar in his hands, and a smile on his face.

"Eliam?" she whispered.

His eyes opened, and his smile widened.

"I knew you'd find me," he said, his voice certain. "The music never left you, Elyse. You just had to remember it."

She reached out to him, the red balloon floating beside her, his laughter echoing through the clearing.

For the first time in months, Elyse knew everything would work out.