“There was this boy. And he was a tiny boy – a very, very little boy. He was so small that his mom had to buy him a wooly hat that he would one day grow into. And it sits on top of his head stiff and upright and entirely empty of head. And it’s a cold day – a very cold day – so he’s got his coat on, he’s got his wooly hat on, and he’s got his mittens on. With his left mitten, quite tightly, he’s holding onto his mom. And with his right mitten, even more tightly, he’s holding onto a balloon. And he’s holding the balloon in that way that only children really hold balloons, in that way that says, ‘I’ve got it. I’ve got the balloon. I’ve been stung by balloons in the past, you know. They’ve blown away, they’ve floated up into the sky. They’ve even been known to burst on occasion. Not this one, though. This one’s different. This one’s a keeper. I’m gonna take this one home and I’m gonna put it in my bedroom. And then I’m gonna watch it slowly die.’ That whole story could be seen as a metaphor for life, where the boy represents all people and the balloon
represents any sort of happiness or love.”