The boy looked at his balloon and smiled. He’d seen other children in the park, also with balloons, and had gone off in search of one for himself. Wandering aimlessly and separated from his parents, the boy walked, staring at the red balloon all the while, out of the warm, humid central park and onto the scorching black pavement that was 5th Avenue in mid July. The boy loved his balloon so much that he even promised the clown that he wouldn’t let go of it until the day he died.

***
Jim got the call at 3:22 pm. Since he was in the first grade, Jim had wanted to save lives and centered his goals toward becoming a Paramedic. Now, after being on call for three hours, Jim was excited- thrilled even- to respond to an emergency, any emergency at all. Jim pulled on his navy blue FDNY paramedic uniform as fast as he could and hurriedly entered the small outpost’s sole ambulance. Driving to the scene at a breakneck speed, sirens blaring, Jim was full of excitement. Jim’s look of excitement was quickly replaced with a grimace of shock and horror as he approached The Met, streets lined with traffic though not due to the art museum.
***
Janet was furious at herself. This was soon to be the fifth time that she missed her daughter’s clarinet recital. After the divorce, Janet had lost custody of her daughter, Elise. Elise was almost nine years old now and her clarinet recitals were really the only time her mother could see her. Every other time Janet missed her daughter’s recital it was due to an unforeseen circumstance, a problem at one of her two jobs or otherwise. This time, however, the only thing keeping Janet from her daughter was a long line of heavy traffic caused by some festival in Central Park. Janet knew how important it was that she make it to her daughter’s recital. She knew a little traffic wouldn’t keep her from the one she loved.

“No,” she thought to herself, “This is not happening again!”

Janet, foot made of lead, flew down the street, passing cars by driving through the opposite lanes of traffic and weaving between taxis and busses, all eight cylinders roaring.

Janet’s car screeched to a halt and the smell of burning rubber permeated the damp, city air. It was as if time itself had stopped. Every nearby eye was focused, frozen on Janet’s shocked expression. Tears rolled off of Janet’s face as she stepped, shaking with fear, out of the vehicle, just in time to see a navy blue blur rush by.
***
A paramedic, brows furrowed with concentration, began compressions as a woman, late for her daughter’s recital, sobbed on the sidewalk. 5th Avenue was a cacophony of sirens, horns, and a pair of wailing adults. The tumultuous scene suddenly plunged into an eerie silence as every man, woman, and child in the area watched a red balloon float into the blue midday sky.