I think we had just finished eating in the dining hall, and as we were walking out, the group was cleaning up.
There it stood. A collection of about a hundred balloons, framing the entrance door. A balloon arch with nowhere to go, but the trash.
So we saved it. And offered to take it to our high-ceilinged room. A with one end, and me following behind, we walked out the door into the brisk night...
And then we started to run. To flatten the arch, of course. But it felt like we were on a chase, and a long bubbly dragon was flying above our heads. Holding it was so effortless, as if it were pulling us along. We passed one or two moonlit silhouettes, but we continued to run across campus, in front of the clocked tower, between the mirrored stone buildings, through the darkened trees. Faster and faster we ran until it lifted us up and we were suspended in air amidst the stars for a few breathless moments, looking down upon the silent campus.
We finally arrived at our hall and ran up the stairs that wrapped around the elevator like a far-too-long caterpillar, until it was safely in our room. It stood for weeks, first standing tall, and then...slowly, slowly drooping towards the earth, but reminding us of the night that we got to fly.
