Night of the Balloon Roo - Audio Book Script - WIP - 9/6/24 (Patreon)

A short little audiobook I've been preparing to commission.

Contains: balloons, latex, hugging, squeezing, and a big cuddly balloonie kangaroo,

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You take a deep breath as you finally finish pitching the last tent on the grounds, wiping the sweat off your forehead, about ready to collapse from exhaustion. You pull yourself together as before heading over to your boss beckoning you from one of the vans being loaded. Even though the tents are all set up, there is so much more to do.

You had been a bit down on your luck as of late, an aspiring set designer fresh out of college, ready to work hard and make a name for yourself, only to spend hours hunched over your laptop searching for work. One cover letter after another, email after email, and soon days turn into weeks just when you thought you were out of luck, you managed to get a job with a traveling circus. Impeccable timing since your parents had just kicked to the curb.

But the job was no easy task, hours of backbreaking work, traveling from place to place, and living on the go doesn’t don’t come with many luxuries, as you would find yourself sleeping in a hammock at best, or an old ripped-up sleeping bag at worst. But a job is a job.

From the van, you unloaded several packages of inflatables, floats for advertising, party balloons for the clowns, and even some mascot costumes. Even after you and your co-workers had brought all the boxes into the storage area in the building-sized circus tent, it took hours just to sort through each and every box. You toiled away until the summer sun had begun to set. The strong smell of natural latex was starting to drive you crazy as you began pumping air into some of the smaller inflatable decorations, sorting them all up against the side of the tent for the time being so you could set them up tomorrow. With a deep breath, you sigh with relief as you take the last inflatable prop out of the box, only to realize something is off. What you took out of the box was smooth and shiny, not like the vinyl that most of the mascot costumes were made of, but more like a deflated rubber balloon.

It didn't look like a typical circus decoration and you could have sworn that the circus had no latex decorations in inventory, but you might as well set up whatever it was since you were already holding it. Though exhausted, you attached the balloon's rather tiny nozzle to the pump, turning it on as it roars to life with a rush of air. If anything he would at least be entertaining to watch this balloon take shape. It takes less than a few seconds for the rubber to take shape, with big puffy limbs swelling out from its sides just like you would expect from a circus mascot. The sound of creaking rubber is almost as loud as the pump itself, with deep reverberating squeaks filling the room like a deafening roar, almost like it was a beast waking from a nap.

Of course, it didn't take long for the balloon to finally fill up, with every little wrinkle smoothening out along its shiny surface, standing as tall as a trailer and looking as soft as a marshmallow as you turned off the pump. You couldn't help but smile as you stared up at the now fully inflated balloon, which turned out to be an inflatable kangaroo of all things, with a cute and rather welcoming cartoony smile, a light brown chocolatey surface, and a big thick rounded form that looked perfect for hugging. Its towering form wobbled in place as the sound of creaking rubber echoed throughout its interior, looking a bit fragile and bouncy for the circus decoration. It looked more like a rubber pool toy than something you would see at the circus. Maybe it was a prize for one of the games they had?

But for the time being, it wouldn't be your problem until the next morning. You turn around and walk toward the exit, only for a sensation of wooziness to wash over you as you become dizzy and disoriented. As your exhaustion finally gets the best of you, it feels as if the world is spinning as you lose your balance, stumbling backward as you begin to collapse, but rather than collapsing against the hard matted floor your fault is abruptly interrupted with a soft, rubbery squeak. After the woosiness had passed, you find yourself slumped against the inflatable kangaroo, leaning comfortably against its soft squishy belly. The rubber gently squishes around you and cradles your back like a sofa, effortlessly supporting your weight as you regain your composure. Though relieved, you could have sworn the kangaroo was lined up near the other inflatables, but as you tilt your head up and look at its adorable smiling face, you see it's indeed sitting right behind you.

 You're clearly suffering from exhaustion, letting out a sigh as you take a moment to rest against the balloon. Only now do you realize just how soft it really is, holding you ever so gently like a pool floaty, gently squeaking as you allow yourself to get comfortable atop the inflatable rubber. For the first time, you're finally able to relax, the exhaustion finally taking its toll on you as you slowly close your eyes, feeling strangely calm in the presence of the giant rubber kangaroo. The subtle rubber squeaks sound strangely soothing as you drift off, almost as if listening to a lullaby, making you want… to just fall asleep.

In fact, as you begin to doze, you can feel a gentle hand brushing against the top of your head, your imagination getting the best of you as… Your phone alarm goes off, and you spring up from the kangaroo. Your phone reminds you it's time for you to check in with inventory as you run off in a panic, realizing how close you were to being caught sleeping on the job.

Later that night, you finally return to your trailer throwing on your ripped-up pajamas and getting into your hammock, finally ready to just fall asleep. But even as the soft fabric of the hammock cradles you, it just makes you wish you were still sleeping on the kangaroo. You sigh as you remember how perfectly rubber’s flexible surface would cradle you, squishing around you as you sank into its embrace, as if being carried by a cloud made of latex. The thought was enough to help you doze off, and you couldn't help but smile as the balloon continued to linger in your thoughts. You can even hear the soft squeaks of its gentle rubber as you slowly doze off, only to shoot up from your hammock as you realize you're not imagining it.

You can hear quiet but distinct squeaks coming from the outside trailer, turning towards the window just in time to see a large silhouette pass by your window. Your heart jumps as you roll out of your hammock, hearing the subtle rippling squeaks passing your trailer. For a second you think it's just your imagination until you look out the window and see that same large silhouette disappear behind one of the tents. Your entire body shivers in your PJs as you take a large gulp, looking toward your roommates as you debate whether or not to wake them up. However knowing them, they wouldn't take you seriously, and if it turned out to be nothing, they would simply never let him hear the end of it. Hesitantly, as you put on your slippers, you exit the trailer and head over to the tents, where you last saw the silhouette.

Assuming it was just a petty thief or some rowdy kids looking for a cheap thrill, you reassure yourself that you could scare them away by simply telling them off with a yell. Even with the dim lamp lights placed throughout the campsite, it's not enough to see where you're going, making you feel a bit uneasy as if someone could just jump out and grab you when you least expect it. But this isn't a horror story after all and you know there's nothing to be afraid of, or at least you think.

As you approach the circus tent's main entrance, you look around the surrounding equipment but see no one, much less anything missing. You think that you're mind might be playing tricks on you, turning around with an exhausted yawn as you’re about to head back. But then, your yawn is followed up by a short and shallow gasp, your eyes widen as you face the circus tent entrance, which was ripped... wide open. Stumbling back, you see that the fabric of the tent is now in tatters on the ground, with little strands blowing in the gentle breeze. This wasn't the result of an attempted break-in, it looked like a wild animal had torn the tent open with its bare hands. You’re just about to run back to inform the others, before you hear a rumbling symphony of creaking rubber right behind you.