Smiling Winds

Everyone laughed at her as she walked along. Why, she did not know. She was only being herself, after all. What she did know was that it upset her. Quite a lot, though again, the why to her question was a complete mystery. She was too naïve to realise that the laughter had malice behind it and was not born of good intent. She’d start with her head high, looking straight ahead, only to end up with head bowed, staring at the ground when she reached the end of the street.

It happened so often though, that she soon realised, or discovered, the malicious undertone of the laughter. She was still confused as to the why however. Whys always confused her. Whys were always a hard question. In place of the logic, the answer to a why, in her case anyway, required tapping into someone’s mind, and that was almost impossible.

Initially, she had been saddened by the taunting, and the strange, confusing looks that were shot her way. It seemed at times, as if every back turned on her as she passed. An aisle was created, as those around her receded into the shadows, leaving her a lone figure in the spotlight.

One day, a man smiled at her as she came toward him and his street shop. Given her past, she looked behind her to see if there was someone else, but as usual there was no one there. It was just her and this smiling man. She slowly stepped closer with curiosity, wordlessly gesturing to herself. The man, still smiling, nodded his head. For a moment he turned away. She had just been starting to smile, and at this, the smile faded, at a much quicker pace than it had first come. But then, he turned back, a bright red balloon in his hand, and at snail’s pace, her smile gradually returned to her lips. He held the balloon out toward her, but she stood motionless, not believing, or perhaps not registering that it was in fact her that the balloon was being offered to. He thrust his arm down again, though his expression was not impatient nor annoyed. Instead, it seemed an encouraging gesture. Shakily, she extended her arm toward him, at which, the man’s smile grew wider still as he handed her the bright red balloon.

Her smile remained in place as she wandered away, balloon firmly in her grasp. She tugged gently to pull it down, and lightly touched a finger to it’s surface with her free hand. Quickly, she pulled her hand away at the quick zap that jolted through her finger. As she passed a shop window, she noticed her hair was sticking out in all directions, which served only to cause her smile to widen the slightest bit more. Overtime, she’d come to the conclusion that her appearance was what people must be laughing at. They didn’t know her, so they couldn’t possibly have been laughing at her personality. Sure, she was a little out there. Eccentric, some might say. Others would simply call it zany. But she called it her, and now, with a balloon in her hand and a smile on her lips, she decided that she was just being her. She was doing nothing wrong and had nothing to be sorry for, and so why allow other people’s reactions to bring her down?

After tearing her eyes away from her reflection before her, she began to skip down the street. As usual, her simple presence turned heads, but unlike usual, her shoulders did not slump, her smile did not disappear, and she did not begin to stare at the ground. The balloon flying along behind her created a warm gust of wind, constantly rushing over her and enveloping her in it’s reassuring embrace. She was unsure whether it was the wind or the fact that something had clicked inside her, but she didn’t think she cared. All that mattered was her sudden, unusual burst of confidence, the fresh, sparkling smile on her face and the new found spring in her step as she skipped along down the street, bright red balloon flying swiftly behind her, as if it were running a marathon just in an attempt to keep up.


So, if you see this girl around, with the wild hair and bright red balloon, lend her a smile. It will only boost her confidence more, and it may just make you happy too.