Scenario: You're driving along a quiet road when you notice a lone balloon bobbing and swaying in the grass near a drainage ditch, a sewer opening nearby. It's a Get Well Soon balloon - big and shiny - anchored in place by a plastic disc.
What if . . . the balloon was placed there to lure curious people over, and once the people were near, someone - or something - dragged them off into the woods, into the sewer?
What if . . . the balloon didn't land there but grew there? Is it the start of an alien crop, one where the balloons will burst into horrible monsters at harvest time?
What if . . . the balloon got loose, drifted from another time, another place? What if there once was a hospital on that land and something very, very bad happened?
What if . . . the balloon is like a grave marker and cannot be moved or popped, no matter how hard anyone tries? Who is buried there? What kind of magic - good or evil? - keeps the balloon in place?
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Your turn! And feel free to create some "nice" tales. Believe me, I already gave myself nightmares, thinking about egg-balloons hatching hideous monsters along the sides of roads . . . .
I think you've created some really creepy scenarios. What if aliens are leaving the balloons, telling the earth to get better?
ReplyDeleteGood one, Alex!
DeleteHmm, but is it Get Well Soon, Earth or is Get Well Soon, Earth . . . or Else . . . . :o
I like the "Get Well Soon" touch.
ReplyDeleteThe last What If gave me chills.
We can use all the chills we can get in this FL summer heat, right? :)
DeleteYour mind is dangerous. Now I'll never stop to look at a lost balloon.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty scary in here.... :o
DeleteThose are some really cool ideas, Madeline. My favourite is the balloon coming from a different time and place.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the balloon was left there by a Good Samaritan who knew the person who needed it most would find it?
Thanks, JH!
DeleteI like the Good Samaritan idea. How would he/she know to leave it there in that desolate location? And when to leave it?
What if . . . the balloon magically healed everyone it touched, but was in danger of popping?
ReplyDeleteOkay, not sure I like my own idea. Hmm.
What if the balloon had drifted there from a nursing home after its owner released it, not wanting to accept the well wishes? Why would he/she not want it? What if the "get well" balloon came from someone who just wanted to be written into the will? (Okay, now I could go with this one.)
Love the what if game!
Happy end of June!
I like both of those, Tyrean!
DeleteHappy end of June to you, too. :)
My mind went with the grave marker, but not in a supernatural sense. What if the balloon belonged to a villain who was on the recovery after some nefarious deed? Just as he's walking out of the hospital, a vengeful vigilante pops up and nabs him, putting an end to him and burying the body in the ditch. The vigilante, smirking, tosses the Get Well Soon balloon anchor aside and walks away.
ReplyDeleteThat idea has such a comic book/graphic novel feel to it, Loni! Nice! :)
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