Keep in Shape to Change Shape [2.0]

Kimberly - Find the Ideal Shape  [2.0]

The nickname Kimberly nobody could well explain where it came from neither Chiara who sometimes argued that a friend of her had heard that name and decided to call her in that way, other times she was used to tell she once dreamt about being at sea on summer holiday and while she was swimming had met a siren whom to prevent Chiara to disclose her existence turned the girl into a mermaid, giving her the new name of Kimberly. 
 Kimberly was following an intensive training program, she had to burn a certain number of calories per day and not to exceed a certain body weight decided by her coach. For this reason she very limited meals replacing them sometimes with supplements, it must be said, however, that she has never had power problems or any eating disorder. Although sometimes exaggerated so that someone had told her that, at this rate, she would have beeen so slight as to risk of being taken away by the wind as if she were a balloon. 
 It was a very hot day, there weren't any clouds, only small gusts of wind, which sometimes moved the blades of grass and the leaves on the trees, were able to give some relief and refreshment in that sultry summer afternoon. Chiara had already come a long way running under the scorching sun therefore she had sweated a lot and soon she was thirsty so when she saw a fountain decided to stop running for a bit so she could catch breath and drink. Chiara drank some sips of fresh water at the fountain then she watched at her phone for seeing how long she was jogging. "It's 04:00 p.m., I left home at 02:15 p.m. ... it's already passed an hour from last break" thought Chiara "Uff... it's very hot today maybe it was better if I had gone to swimming pool" continued.
 That day to the park there weren't many people and even the few present seemed each one taken from own activities and thoughts. However one including all seemed to catch Kimberly's attention in particular, a guy was standing in an obligatory point of passage for people, near the road sitting on a chair and occasionally flipping through a notebook maybe jotting something above. That guy has been selling balloons of various shapes and colors related to a block of stone by means of a metal handle and near there was a cylinder.
Kimberly saw that the man was staring at her carefully or so it seemed to her, nonetheless she decided to resume race and not give too much weight to that thing. 
 She stood up and began to run passing near the spot where the man who was selling balloons stood. Chiara was not necessarily obligated to go from there, she could do other roads but for some strange reason, her legs seemed to want to go by theirselves and take her there at all costs, briefly came close to balloons and there stopped.
"Nice day, isn't it?" asked the guy for nothing surprised to see her, almost looked like he was waiting for that girl. Chiara was a bit confused, she wasn't able to undrestand what it was happening, but replied: "Uh, yes... maybe a bit hot...".
The guy smiled at her and looked into her eyes for a few moments after that spoke so: "At least this time you can keep in shape even if not always possible to find the right shape." Kimberly didn't say anything, she couldn't understand what he had told her so just nodded her head in assent and smiled back too.
Other people have passed meanwhile but nobody had stopped there or told anything, they only have passed away.
"You, however, will find your ideal shape sooner or later, I think so. You will be certainly perfect and I can't make mistake when I told you it will happen early. Listen to me, you are on the right way!" exclaimed the man of balloons.
"Thank you," answered Chiara even if in truth she was not really sure fully to have understand all the words of that man.
"Would you like a balloon?" demanded suddenly the guy leaving Chiara a bit confused. She really didn't understand why that guy had asked her it. Everything seems to have no more sense and she wasn't able to understand why. 
However after a little Kimberly finally answered: "No thanks, they are very beatiful but..." - and next continued: - "maybe another time..."
"Never mind, don't worry!" said the guy.
"Maybe next time you will be luckier with someone else!" Told smiling at him Kimberly very politely as the well-educated girl she's used to be. 
"I'm sure I will be." He replied writing something on his notebook.
"So... I've to go now." said Chiara but didn't move. She hoped to can go away and come back jogging but still she seemed unable to move and leave that place, it was like if something was helding her back.
 The strange guy closed his notebook, looked at Chiara and then turn himself towards the colored Balloons near him and again towards Kimberly fixing her for several time without saying anithing.
"I'm going away now..." said Chiara but still didn't move. The man looked not to want consider her and Chiara's words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. "By the way... Do you like Ballons?" asked suddenly him.
"Oh yes I love them!!" exclaimed Chiara. "I'm sorry but I really have to go now. Nice to have met you!" Continued Kimberly.
"Me too. See you soon"
"Bye!!" She saluted him, but she hadn't still had time to finish to speak that the guy spoke like this and asked her:
"Would you like instead to become a Balloon?" 
Kimberly without knowing why, as if she were moved by a strange instinct, hesitated neither a second and exclaimed: "Sure!! Why not?!" And without even realizing Chiara had become another, rather different thing.
That summer afternoon Chiara Bay had left home to go jogging at park but something strange had happened to her, in a moment she was no more a girl but something different. Her body had started to change, to become lighter and light blue like the color of her tank top she wore that day and her short trousers. Her head had begun to take an oval form and early all the rest of Chiara's body was swallowed up in her head. Her skin was now rubber and her long brown hair tied that day in a ponytail had disappeared. Her shoes layed now on land together to her phone with the headphones which Chiara had in her ears that day.
Chiara Bay a 16 years old, sweet and a bit shy, sometimes silly but always well educated girl left home for jogging at the park, had found her ideal shape that hot summer day and was now become a light blue Balloon as the same color of the sky. She was now tied up together with other balloons like her at the same block of stone by a metal handle.
She admitted to love Balloons so I'm sure she loved her change and will love her actual shape when she finally realize what happened to her that sunny day.

Kimberly greeted the guy of Balloons and restarted her run. Kimberly and Chiara were now two different things, a girl the first and a wonderfull balloon the second but nobody knows why. Except for that guy at the park.

The End