Congratulations !
You have been awarded points.
Thank you for !
- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Memorial / Tribute
- Published: 06/09/2021
Fire Engine Red
Born 1944, F, from Melbourne, FL, United States![Fire Engine Red](/storage/story/87835D60-3C7A-C988-5BF9-DD3D31930967_1623248182-image(180x285-crop).jpeg)
Fire Engine Red
by
Valerie Allen
“Here Grandma, you hold my balloon,” Gordon demanded, and he held up his hand until the red balloon bumped into his grandmother's face.
She pushed it away. “No. You're the one who wanted the balloon. It's your job to hold on to it.”
“Pleaseeeee.” His small face pinched into wrinkles around his blue eyes.
“Gordon, you can hold on to your own balloon,” his grandmother said. She bent down and put her hand on his shoulder. “You're a big boy.”
“I might lose it,” he whined. “Suppose it flies away? Suppose it goes way up into the sky and I can't see it anymore?”
His grandmother put her hand on his head and ran her fingers through his thick brown hair. “It won't get away if you hold on to it as tight as you can.” She tilted his head back and his chin moved upward. She kissed him on the tip of his nose.
“I'm afraid, Grandma. I'm scared it will get away and I won't ever see it again.”
She took his free hand and tugged him toward an alcove along the jogging path. She sat on a wrought-iron bench and patted the space next to her.
The boy eyed his balloon and tugged on the string making it bounce up and down. Hesitantly, he climbed onto the bench and wriggled close to his grandmother.
“Let me help you,” his grandmother said. She drew his hand toward her and grasped the balloon string. “Put your fingers straight out and I'll make a loop around them with the end of the string. It will be like a small handle and make it easier for you to hold.”
The boy studied her carefully and watched as she adjusted the string and wound it around his outstretched fingers. “Will it hold on to me, Grandma?” he asked.
“Sort of. You'll hold on to it and it will hold onto you–all day.”
“Will it float up into the sky?”
“Not if you hold on to it. You'll still have to be careful that it won't pop,” she warned.
He looked up at her and squinted his eyes. With measured words, he asked, “Pop? How could it pop?”
“It could break if it hit something, especially something sharp like a tree branch.”
He snapped his hand to his side and the balloon bounced against his chest. “I don't want it to pop, Grandma,” he wailed.
“You need to be careful,” she said.
He hopped off the park bench and stomped his feet. “Bad things are going to happen to my balloon! I don't want it to die and go away and leave me.” He began to cry. “I want to take it home and put it in my room. I want to shut the door. I want to keep my balloon forever!” Tears ran down his cheeks.
His grandmother reached for the boy and embraced him. “Your balloon isn't going to die. Balloons don't die. We only have a balloon for a few days and then the air inside of it is gone.”
He pulled away from her arms and used his free hand to wipe the tears from his face. “Is that what happened to Daddy? Did he lose all of his air?”
His grandmother bit her lower lip. Her eyes watered. She took a deep breath. “No, your daddy died in an accident.”
“Mommy said he's in Heaven now.”
“Yes, he his,” his grandmother said softly.
“Mommy said Heaven is up in the sky. She said Daddy's looking down watching over me all the time.” The boy tilted his face toward the sun. “I don't see him up there, Grandma. Where is he?”
Gently, she said, “He's where ever you are, Gordon. He's with you in your heart. He's with you every time you think about him.”
“I don't want to think about him.” He raised his voice. “I want to see him! I want to play ball with him. I want him to read me a story like he used to.”
She ran her hands down both sides of his small face. “I know. Every day I wish your daddy was here with me and you and your mom.”
“Can I call him on the phone and tell him to come home from Heaven? He's been there a long time.”
She smiled and gave a short laugh. “No, we can't do that. Once a person goes to Heaven he stays there. He doesn't come back.”
“Why not? When he went to work, he came back.” He looked up at her puzzled. “One day he didn't come back home anymore. He went up to Heaven instead.”
She shook her head. “He didn't want to leave us.”
“That's what Mommy said.” He looked at the sky. “Grandma, do you think Daddy's hiding behind a cloud? Maybe I could call to him and he'd hear me and he'd come back down. He said he'd help me learn to ride my bike.”
She bent toward him and ran her hand along his chin. “No, he won't hear us way down here.”
“Can I go up to Heaven to see him? Will they let me into Heaven so we can visit?”
“No, but one day when you are very, very old, maybe you'll go to Heaven and see your dad.”
Gordon's eyes widened and he stared at his grandmother. “You mean when I'm even older than you, Grandma?”
She smiled. “Yes, you'd be even older than me.”
“Can I give him a present?”
She smiled. “You know Gordon, you remind me of your dad. When he was a little boy, he asked me so many questions.”
He tilted his head to one side, a serious look on his face. “Did you know my daddy when he was a little boy?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Of course, I'm your daddy's mom. Just like you have a mom, your daddy has a mom and it's me!”
“Are you still his mom even when he's in Heaven?”
She patted her fingers under her eyelids to keep the tears in check. “Yes, I am still his mom. I will always be his mom.”
“Did you buy him a balloon when he was a little boy?”
“I sure did. It was his favorite surprise. He loved balloons, especially red balloons.”
“My daddy drove a big red fire truck.”
“I know. Ever since he was a little boy, he wanted to drive a fire engine.”
“Mommy said that's how he died. He had an accident in a red fire truck.”
She nodded her head slowly, her lips pressed together.
Gordon shaded his eyes with his hand and tilted his face toward the sun. He pulled the balloon to his chest and wrapped it in his tiny arms. Excitedly, he ran, flailing his arms up and down, the balloon trailing after him in an erratic whirl. The string slipped off his hand and the balloon spiraled upward. The boy's eyes opened wide.
“Gordon,” his grandmother called as she caught up to him. She crouched in front of him and looked into his eyes. “Oh, I'm so sorry your balloon got away!”
He reached out and patted her cheek with his small hand. “It's okay, Grandma. I let it go. I wanted to give Daddy his favorite surprise.”
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read Fire Engine Red
If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends and posting a review on Amazon.com or other online sites.
Word-of-mouth referrals are an author's best friend and much appreciated.
Fire Engine Red
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright by Valerie Allen 2017
Amazon.com/dp/B0771TRLTG
All rights reserved
For More Information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Future Plans
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
No Goin' Home
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Penalty Box
Visiting Day
Words of Wisdom
Valentine's Day
~ ~ ~
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Fire Engine Red(Valerie Allen)
Fire Engine Red
by
Valerie Allen
“Here Grandma, you hold my balloon,” Gordon demanded, and he held up his hand until the red balloon bumped into his grandmother's face.
She pushed it away. “No. You're the one who wanted the balloon. It's your job to hold on to it.”
“Pleaseeeee.” His small face pinched into wrinkles around his blue eyes.
“Gordon, you can hold on to your own balloon,” his grandmother said. She bent down and put her hand on his shoulder. “You're a big boy.”
“I might lose it,” he whined. “Suppose it flies away? Suppose it goes way up into the sky and I can't see it anymore?”
His grandmother put her hand on his head and ran her fingers through his thick brown hair. “It won't get away if you hold on to it as tight as you can.” She tilted his head back and his chin moved upward. She kissed him on the tip of his nose.
“I'm afraid, Grandma. I'm scared it will get away and I won't ever see it again.”
She took his free hand and tugged him toward an alcove along the jogging path. She sat on a wrought-iron bench and patted the space next to her.
The boy eyed his balloon and tugged on the string making it bounce up and down. Hesitantly, he climbed onto the bench and wriggled close to his grandmother.
“Let me help you,” his grandmother said. She drew his hand toward her and grasped the balloon string. “Put your fingers straight out and I'll make a loop around them with the end of the string. It will be like a small handle and make it easier for you to hold.”
The boy studied her carefully and watched as she adjusted the string and wound it around his outstretched fingers. “Will it hold on to me, Grandma?” he asked.
“Sort of. You'll hold on to it and it will hold onto you–all day.”
“Will it float up into the sky?”
“Not if you hold on to it. You'll still have to be careful that it won't pop,” she warned.
He looked up at her and squinted his eyes. With measured words, he asked, “Pop? How could it pop?”
“It could break if it hit something, especially something sharp like a tree branch.”
He snapped his hand to his side and the balloon bounced against his chest. “I don't want it to pop, Grandma,” he wailed.
“You need to be careful,” she said.
He hopped off the park bench and stomped his feet. “Bad things are going to happen to my balloon! I don't want it to die and go away and leave me.” He began to cry. “I want to take it home and put it in my room. I want to shut the door. I want to keep my balloon forever!” Tears ran down his cheeks.
His grandmother reached for the boy and embraced him. “Your balloon isn't going to die. Balloons don't die. We only have a balloon for a few days and then the air inside of it is gone.”
He pulled away from her arms and used his free hand to wipe the tears from his face. “Is that what happened to Daddy? Did he lose all of his air?”
His grandmother bit her lower lip. Her eyes watered. She took a deep breath. “No, your daddy died in an accident.”
“Mommy said he's in Heaven now.”
“Yes, he his,” his grandmother said softly.
“Mommy said Heaven is up in the sky. She said Daddy's looking down watching over me all the time.” The boy tilted his face toward the sun. “I don't see him up there, Grandma. Where is he?”
Gently, she said, “He's where ever you are, Gordon. He's with you in your heart. He's with you every time you think about him.”
“I don't want to think about him.” He raised his voice. “I want to see him! I want to play ball with him. I want him to read me a story like he used to.”
She ran her hands down both sides of his small face. “I know. Every day I wish your daddy was here with me and you and your mom.”
“Can I call him on the phone and tell him to come home from Heaven? He's been there a long time.”
She smiled and gave a short laugh. “No, we can't do that. Once a person goes to Heaven he stays there. He doesn't come back.”
“Why not? When he went to work, he came back.” He looked up at her puzzled. “One day he didn't come back home anymore. He went up to Heaven instead.”
She shook her head. “He didn't want to leave us.”
“That's what Mommy said.” He looked at the sky. “Grandma, do you think Daddy's hiding behind a cloud? Maybe I could call to him and he'd hear me and he'd come back down. He said he'd help me learn to ride my bike.”
She bent toward him and ran her hand along his chin. “No, he won't hear us way down here.”
“Can I go up to Heaven to see him? Will they let me into Heaven so we can visit?”
“No, but one day when you are very, very old, maybe you'll go to Heaven and see your dad.”
Gordon's eyes widened and he stared at his grandmother. “You mean when I'm even older than you, Grandma?”
She smiled. “Yes, you'd be even older than me.”
“Can I give him a present?”
She smiled. “You know Gordon, you remind me of your dad. When he was a little boy, he asked me so many questions.”
He tilted his head to one side, a serious look on his face. “Did you know my daddy when he was a little boy?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Of course, I'm your daddy's mom. Just like you have a mom, your daddy has a mom and it's me!”
“Are you still his mom even when he's in Heaven?”
She patted her fingers under her eyelids to keep the tears in check. “Yes, I am still his mom. I will always be his mom.”
“Did you buy him a balloon when he was a little boy?”
“I sure did. It was his favorite surprise. He loved balloons, especially red balloons.”
“My daddy drove a big red fire truck.”
“I know. Ever since he was a little boy, he wanted to drive a fire engine.”
“Mommy said that's how he died. He had an accident in a red fire truck.”
She nodded her head slowly, her lips pressed together.
Gordon shaded his eyes with his hand and tilted his face toward the sun. He pulled the balloon to his chest and wrapped it in his tiny arms. Excitedly, he ran, flailing his arms up and down, the balloon trailing after him in an erratic whirl. The string slipped off his hand and the balloon spiraled upward. The boy's eyes opened wide.
“Gordon,” his grandmother called as she caught up to him. She crouched in front of him and looked into his eyes. “Oh, I'm so sorry your balloon got away!”
He reached out and patted her cheek with his small hand. “It's okay, Grandma. I let it go. I wanted to give Daddy his favorite surprise.”
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read Fire Engine Red
If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends and posting a review on Amazon.com or other online sites.
Word-of-mouth referrals are an author's best friend and much appreciated.
Fire Engine Red
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright by Valerie Allen 2017
Amazon.com/dp/B0771TRLTG
All rights reserved
For More Information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Future Plans
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
No Goin' Home
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Penalty Box
Visiting Day
Words of Wisdom
Valentine's Day
~ ~ ~
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
- Share this story on
- 13
![](/storage/users/8F5394B8-02B3-46D1-8B3D-732C4F7D9C8B_1713745678-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Shelly Garrod
08/17/2023Wow, Valerie that was a sad but yet beatiful story. Gave me goosebumps at the end. So precious how the little boy wanted to surprise his daddy with a balloon. So he let it go.
Really enjoyed this story.
Blessings Shelly
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![](/storage/users/5D6F2FE0-9A36-13EC-B5E1-A8ED29BAC015_1632285588-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Lillian Kazmierczak
01/14/2022Ok Valerie, the emotions you brought to the surface with that story. It was so sad with such a happy twist. That a small child could give away the one thing that made him happy, so this father could have a surprise, was just so precious. Thank you!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/A4543371-1E62-2385-EF62-EC1DC894E054_1692316512-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Valerie Allen
01/15/2022Lillian, I'm so happy you have discovered and enjoy my stories! I like seeing the comments and how my stories impact the readers. This is one of my sad but happy stories that seems to touch many hearts. Thank you for being a faithful reader ~
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![](/storage/users/A31AD45E-74A3-7277-501B-2D73844BB3DF_1632107242-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/A4543371-1E62-2385-EF62-EC1DC894E054_1692316512-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Valerie Allen
06/17/2021Thank you Gail. This is one of my "two hankey" stories. Hopefully, readers will get the message to love those who are important to them while they can. I appreciate your feedback.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
![](/storage/users/5409FB9C-B08D-404A-AEB5-1656E97B7D38_1544319328-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
JD
06/15/2021That was a sad but beautiful story of loss and healing, Valerie. Loved it. Thank you for sharing this inspirational story on Storystar. Happy short story STAR of the day! : )
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
![some-data...](/storage/users/A4543371-1E62-2385-EF62-EC1DC894E054_1692316512-image(212x212-crop).jpeg)
Valerie Allen
06/16/2021Jd - as always, thank you for reading and commenting on my stories. This one is especially moving. Pleased to see it is StoryStar of the Day for others to enjoy ~
COMMENTS (4)