"Roll up, roll up, come and get your Body Parts, all sizes, shapes and colours. Need new lungs, we have them, a new liver, no problem, and our latest heart design in blue.“
Bobby and his parents were at the annual fair in town and he was excited. He loved the rides on the carousels, on the scenic railway and above all visiting the various booths. There was always something new and interesting to see.
“Hey dad, look, you can buy new parts for your body. I would love a blue heart, can I have one dad?”
“Bobby, it’s not real, just a gag to draw people to give their money out for a joke. Hearts are not blue and you cannot buy them.”
“But Mrs. Smith down the road had to go to hospital for a new heart and they gave it to her and now she feels much better.”
“That’s different Bobby, that was done in a hospital with an operation and not bought at a fair, and it certainly wasn’t a blue heart.
“What colour are hearts dad?”
”Bobby hearts don’t really have their own colour. They are in the body and get blood and stuff that’s pumped around, that makes the colour.”
This conversation with Bobby was getting just a little bit uncomfortable for his dad, so he decided to change the subject.
“What do you want to see now Bobby.”
“I want to see what the hearts are like that the man is selling in the booth.”
“Bobby you don’t buy hearts, your father told you” and his mother decided to guide the conversation away from the subject, but Bobby was adamant. So to avoid a Bobby tantrum situation, mum and dad gave in and they entered the booth.
“Hello my lad, looking for a spare part for the body?”
Bobby’s eyes sparkled and his curiosity was awakened.
“How much does that blue heart cost?”
“No, Bobby” said his father “you cannot buy a heart, we told you.”
“Of course he can sir, no problem. You have to keep that heart nicely in its case – see it’s filled with liquid. It only stays fresh that way; if the case breaks and the heart falls out, then you cannot use it anymore.”
“I promise to look after it” said Bobby “oh dad, pleeeeease, buy it for me.”
His father looked at his mother and decided it would be a good idea to have a happy, satisfied Bobby. They knew that it was all an illusion, just a blue coloured jelly heart in a plastic box, probably made in Hong Kong and nothing genuine of course. In a few months Bobby would forget the heart and they could throw it away.
“That would be just two dollars and a handshake from the young gentleman to seal the bargain” the salesman said.
“Ok Bobby you can have your blue heart, but you heard what the man said. It costs two dollars and your mother and I will buy it for you, but you have to give the man a handshake.”
Bobby was impressed and happy. Not only was he getting the heart he wanted, but being treated like a real grown up by sealing the deal with a handshake.
“Ok, son” said the man “look me in the eyes and give me your hand.”
Bobby did what the man said, but he did not like the man’s eyes. They were sort of blue, then seemed to change to brown and suddenly black, or did he see a red glint, but decided it must be his imagination and the sun was playing tricks on the light. He did not like the handshake, his hand had a sort of “pins and needles” feeling when the man clutched it. Actually Bobby asked himself whether he would be happy with a blue heart in a box of liquid from this strange man.
“Do you want an ice cream?” asked Bobby’s mother after they had left the sales booth.
“Yeaaaa” was the answer and Bobby forgot the strange moments with the man.
When they got home Bobby took his blue heart to his bedroom and put it on his bedside table.
Over the years Bobby kept this heart. His parents had long passed away and he was married and had his own children.
One day Bobby felt a terrific pain in his arm, then his chest. He decided to lay down on his bed and rest to see if it would go away. He still had the transparent plastic box next to his bed with the blue heart. All the years he had kept it. He did not really know why. And then he notice a blue glow coming from the box and the heart started to enlarge and get smaller as if it was being pumped by something unknown. He reached out for the box and it fell onto the floor and broke. He then watched as the blue heart shaped thing started to slither over the floor and climbed over the bed reaching Bobby’s chest.
Bobby and his parents were at the annual fair in town and he was excited. He loved the rides on the carousels, on the scenic railway and above all visiting the various booths. There was always something new and interesting to see.
“Hey dad, look, you can buy new parts for your body. I would love a blue heart, can I have one dad?”
“Bobby, it’s not real, just a gag to draw people to give their money out for a joke. Hearts are not blue and you cannot buy them.”
“But Mrs. Smith down the road had to go to hospital for a new heart and they gave it to her and now she feels much better.”
“That’s different Bobby, that was done in a hospital with an operation and not bought at a fair, and it certainly wasn’t a blue heart.
“What colour are hearts dad?”
”Bobby hearts don’t really have their own colour. They are in the body and get blood and stuff that’s pumped around, that makes the colour.”
This conversation with Bobby was getting just a little bit uncomfortable for his dad, so he decided to change the subject.
“What do you want to see now Bobby.”
“I want to see what the hearts are like that the man is selling in the booth.”
“Bobby you don’t buy hearts, your father told you” and his mother decided to guide the conversation away from the subject, but Bobby was adamant. So to avoid a Bobby tantrum situation, mum and dad gave in and they entered the booth.
“Hello my lad, looking for a spare part for the body?”
Bobby’s eyes sparkled and his curiosity was awakened.
“How much does that blue heart cost?”
“No, Bobby” said his father “you cannot buy a heart, we told you.”
“Of course he can sir, no problem. You have to keep that heart nicely in its case – see it’s filled with liquid. It only stays fresh that way; if the case breaks and the heart falls out, then you cannot use it anymore.”
“I promise to look after it” said Bobby “oh dad, pleeeeease, buy it for me.”
His father looked at his mother and decided it would be a good idea to have a happy, satisfied Bobby. They knew that it was all an illusion, just a blue coloured jelly heart in a plastic box, probably made in Hong Kong and nothing genuine of course. In a few months Bobby would forget the heart and they could throw it away.
“That would be just two dollars and a handshake from the young gentleman to seal the bargain” the salesman said.
“Ok Bobby you can have your blue heart, but you heard what the man said. It costs two dollars and your mother and I will buy it for you, but you have to give the man a handshake.”
Bobby was impressed and happy. Not only was he getting the heart he wanted, but being treated like a real grown up by sealing the deal with a handshake.
“Ok, son” said the man “look me in the eyes and give me your hand.”
Bobby did what the man said, but he did not like the man’s eyes. They were sort of blue, then seemed to change to brown and suddenly black, or did he see a red glint, but decided it must be his imagination and the sun was playing tricks on the light. He did not like the handshake, his hand had a sort of “pins and needles” feeling when the man clutched it. Actually Bobby asked himself whether he would be happy with a blue heart in a box of liquid from this strange man.
“Do you want an ice cream?” asked Bobby’s mother after they had left the sales booth.
“Yeaaaa” was the answer and Bobby forgot the strange moments with the man.
When they got home Bobby took his blue heart to his bedroom and put it on his bedside table.
Over the years Bobby kept this heart. His parents had long passed away and he was married and had his own children.
One day Bobby felt a terrific pain in his arm, then his chest. He decided to lay down on his bed and rest to see if it would go away. He still had the transparent plastic box next to his bed with the blue heart. All the years he had kept it. He did not really know why. And then he notice a blue glow coming from the box and the heart started to enlarge and get smaller as if it was being pumped by something unknown. He reached out for the box and it fell onto the floor and broke. He then watched as the blue heart shaped thing started to slither over the floor and climbed over the bed reaching Bobby’s chest.
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