At a carnival a group of children grip balloon strings in ample palms. All of the little boys beam with pride at the yellow balloons traipsing behind them, all but one who’s selected a blue balloon. The other boys do not disapprove of the colour that trails behind him. The truth is that they don’t really take notice. But the boy with the different balloon—he detects it. He is afraid that those with the yellow balloons will soon enough shun him, though they continue to behave normally. But even so, he remains unconvinced that the blue balloon somehow separates him from the group. And his worries detach him to a greater extent than the colour blue ever could. And in a panic, he lets it go. He pretends to be content with no balloon. And all of the other little boys beam with pride at the yellow balloons traipsing behind them, all but one who’s selected to have no balloon at all.