The balloon artist

In the great state of Tennessee, there once was a balloon artist named Willow who set up her stand at the corner of the street for the town’s weekly market. Willow had wonderful skill. She was especially skilled at making bird, raccoon, and giraffe balloon animals. Parents would often bring their children to Willow’s stand before stopping by the bakery just behind it. 

“Hello, Mrs. Woods, it’s great to see you again!”

“It’s great to see you all again as well!” Willow said. “How is the York family this weekend?”

“Good!” The youngest of the bunch jumped up and down and pointed at the display of contorted rubber animals behind Willow. “Can I please have a birdy?”

“Sure thing, Abby! One little birdy coming right up. And not just any birdy. I’ll make you a special birdy called a whippoorwill.”

“Thank you, Willow,” Abby said.

The older child, Bobby, asked his parents, “Can we get some doughnuts?”

“Yes, we’ll go to the bakery after this for doughnuts and coffee.”

“I love Sweet Tooth!” Bobby said. “They have the best jelly filled doughnuts. Is it okay if I go ahead and go?”

“You don’t want a balloon animal?” Mrs. York asked.

 “No, thanks,” Bobby said. He was plotting a sinister plan. “I still have the raccoon from last week. I named him Jerubbaal.”

“Okay, all done!” Willow held up the bird for Abby.

“Wow! It’s an amazing whippoorwill. Thank you, Willow!” Abby held her prize above her head in admiration.

“That’s a cool-looking birdy, Abby,” Bobby said. “Can I see it?”

“Okay, let’s go kids! Thank you so much, Willow! We’ll see you next week.”

“Have a fabulous week, everyone!” Willow said.

The York family walked to Sweet Tooth behind Willow’s stand. The bakery’s bookkeeper briefly paused his inventory management to open the door for the York family. “Welcome in,” the bookkeeper said.

“Let me see your little birdy, Abby,” Bobby said again. In his coat pocket he gripped his tool of destruction.

“Okay, fine. Here you go.” Abby handed over the balloon creation to her brother as they both walked through the doorway of Sweet Tooth. Removing his hand from his pocket and reaching for the whippoorwill, Bobby concealed a fishhook in his palm.

Abby’s expression deflated quicker than her beloved birdy. “You buffoon!” Abby yelled. “Not you,” she said to the bookkeeper, who appeared offended. Abby grimaced at her brother and slapped him on the shoulder. 

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Today’s Wonderful Words:

Tennessee, balloon, raccoon, whippoorwill, coffee, Sweet Tooth, Jerubbaal, cool-looking, bookkeeper, fishhook, buffoon, Willow Woods, Abby York, Bobby York.

Each of these contain at least two consecutive sets of double letters.

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Answer to Saturday’s riddle:

The balloon artist, Willow Woods, and her balloons can fit through the green glass door, but her stand cannot. Bobby and his fishhook can fit through the green glass door, but his doughnut cannot.

Any word with at least one set of double letters will fit through the green glass door.

If you sent a career room through the green glass door, it would fit. But a conference center would not fit through the green glass door. “Can” cannot fit through the green glass door, but “cannot” can. Streets can fit through, but roads cannot. Weekly, but not monthly. Giraffes can fit through the green glass door, but birds cannot. Books can fit, but words can’t. My teeth can fit through the green glass door, but my mouth cannot.

Other words in the text above that can fit through the green glass door: skill, stopping, hello, see, weekend, good, rubber, little, called, jelly filled, plotting, gripped, tool, doorway, expression, yelled, appeared, offended, slapped.

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