Large balloons of various colors adorned the ceiling and stairway. Reds, greens, yellows, and blues shimmered like stars and brought Diana smiling in a big, dumb grin. Not only were they there, however, floating above thin and curled strands of ribbon, but each of them were different than the average balloon.
Each toy was shaped into that of an animal. She saw striped tigers, regal lions, silly flamingos, and long, transparent giraffes. Her mind exploded and gushed over a few brown monkeys and orange colored foxes. Diana knew the first balloon she would take would have to be special.
"These are amazing," she said, taking the first step down and batting at a purple dragon. "Where on Earth did you find these?"
"They were stored in one of the closets," Jason said, his own hand tying off a cream-white leopard. "We thought, why not go ahead and get things started?"
"We also found the helium in the garage. The guy who owns this place must be loaded." Emily bounced a giraffe in the air.
No kidding, Diana thought. All of the toys must have been custom made if not sold limited online. Half of them were large enough to be confused for real animals, albeit smaller.
"Think we'll need to pay for any of this?" she asked.
Jason and Emily, along with four others, looked at each other with shrugs and concerned glances. No one had really thought about it, it seemed. They just assumed this all came with the house. Other parties had experienced the same, from what Diana heard. Although this could be the same as those, she really didn't want to chance building up a tab with a man no one really knew.
Emily sighed, and grabbed the giraffe she had previously just swatted. "Maybe we should put them away. We can always go into town and get regular balloons."
"But they were all sitting there in a cupboard, guys." Jason grabbed an orca, black and sleek. "You can't tell me that this is all some price scheme."
"Did you see any signs reading 'Free Balloons for Use?'''
"Hey, guys, it's okay," Diana said. "We'll just say we thought they were free."
Watching their expressions, she knew that the idea would be a hard one to chew. Dozens of balloons had been inflated, and more were drifting up against the tall ceiling. If this was an accident, how could they explain them having inflated and used so many so soon?
"I, for one," Jason said, "agree, and I think we should make more, just in case everyone wants one."
Emily shrugged. "Don't listen to me, then. You guys rented the house. I'm just here to help."
Diana finished her decline downstairs. Before she reached the bottom, however, she grabbed a balloon and tied it snugly to her wrist. Looking, she saw that she'd taken a...