With that, the fox ties the three balloons back to the stand. They protest, asking him to at least take them with him, but he ignores them. After he finishes his task, they sullenly watch what he has planned next.
With the others out of the way, the fox takes your head in two hands. He looks at something underneath your chin, then flips you to face upwards. With one hand holding the back of your head, you feel the other start to fiddle with a small, unfamiliar part of you that feels like it's right under your throat.
“What are you doing? That feels strange!” you exclaim in fear.
“Patience,” the fox snaps. “This bit's always tricky. It would be quicker if I had my claws, but either way, it's easier to show than explain.”
Eventually, you feel something come loose with a tug, and the fox is now tightly pinching whatever he was messing with. He brings you closer to his face. You feel lips wrap around the bit of skin between his fingers, which he releases from his grasp.
Suddenly, it feels kind of like you're deep underwater. There's an odd pressure on your head from all around, and you kind of feel like you're falling out of your own skin. You hear the muffled sound of air rushing out of you, and the world slowly starts to grow.
You realize that you recognize the sound the air is making. It's something you've done with balloons since you were a kid. The fox is inhaling whatever's coming out. As he does, your head shrinks smaller until you feel your skin becoming loose. Your face starts to ripple, and you begin to collapse into yourself. You can no longer move other than darting your vision about. Sometimes your eyes seem to be pointing in opposite directions. Other times they're obscured by each other or another random piece of skin.
The air flow continues to wane and you droop over. Soon, you hang limp in what used to be your hand, unable to really get a sense of what's going on around you besides the feel of the surface you rest on. Part of you is still in the fox's mouth, and once he's completely filled his lungs, he starts to blow.
The process feels similar to before, but the pressure is coming from within now. Your skin begins to lift out of the tangled mess it's become, and once you can see clearly, you watch the world shrinking back to normal. Soon, your head is back to the size it was before, but the fox continues blowing. You feel yourself becoming taught, your face bulging outwards. Just when it feels like you can't hold any more air, he stops.
The fox pinches your base again and flips you upside down. He begins tying the knot back in your base. This time, however, it produces a series of rubbery squeaks as his fingers rub against it. You feel the string tied back on, and as soon as it's done, the fox drops you.
Only you don't fall the right way. Once his hands release you, your head bobs upright, and you raise up until your string catches you at its height, where you sway back and forth slowly. You look at the fox in horror. His head no longer looks like a balloon. Though still a bit cartoon-y, his head is opaque, and his fur looks real. You realize you can still move and try your voice.
“What did you do to me?!” you shout in fear.
The fox just laughs. “Oh, come on, you still haven't figured it out? Use that big noggin' of yours,” he says, jabbing your forehead with a fingertip. The impact makes a hollow pang that echos through you. You're knocked backwards but stop quickly, drifting back forward where you wobble to and fro.
“I... I'm a balloon?” you say timidly. “How? Why? Why would you do this to me?!”
“Isn't it obvious? I needed a body. Don't worry, it isn't as bad as you think, but it sure doesn't beat having a body.”
The fox takes you back to the balloon stand where he ties your string with the rest.
“Please, you can't just leave me here!” you scream.
“Sorry, but I can. I got other things to attend to, like changing my new body more to my liking. See ya!”
With that, the fox turns and walks away with your body. You bob in the wind with the other balloons in disbelief, until...