Flying Free

A boy sits on the pavement near the entrance to the pier, clutching a length of twine to which is tethered a pink balloon, whipping, cracking in the wind. His parents stand next to him.
The father taps his son’s outstretched hand.
‘Come on, time to get some chips.’
The boy looks up, grins, and the balloon flies free.
Father, cradling son, watches the pink balloon rising into a grey ragged sky.