Abductors don't have to be humanoid.

I'm sure most of you've heard about the "Mandela effect", but if not, the basic idea is that the world you are in seems to be different by some truly inconsequential things. For example, lots of people remember the movie title as "Shrek", but it's "Shrek 3,201" in reality. The first really strange thing I noticed like this was that the sky used to be blue, not the dark grey it is now. <br><br>It's been raining for some time now, and I was by the window when I saw it. A balloon, lost, flying on the wind. Now, you see, the truly odd thing was that this balloon did not seem to be any color in particular. It was more like the color of a memory, and despite not being one myself, I felt a pang of nostalgia whenever I saw it. I wanted to see it more, even though it by now truly was lost, and I had only seen it once.<br><br>The next day, I saw it again. I called in sick, and stood by the window all day to look for it. It was still far away when I saw it, and the sky faded to black before I could find it. I tried to sleep, but the next morning, all I could think about was the balloon. <br><br>The next morning, the weather was supposed to clear up, but when I woke up and the sky was still grey. I did not really think of it much at the time, as I was too distracted by the balloon. I decide to sneak out of my house, and try to find it. I go for a long, long time. I don't remember what I saw along the way, but after some time, I suddenly get a feeling of unease. I decide to return home, and that's when I remember that I don't know the way back.<br><br>I start to get a little afraid, but I press on. I keep moving forward. I start to hear something. A noise, like a sound heard through a telephone. I keep moving forward. The noise starts to sound like talking. I try to listen, but the words are impossible to make out. I keep moving. Suddenly, I feel something hit me. I fall to the ground, and when I stand up, I'm back in my house. The balloon is in front of me, distended and popped.<br><br>I'm not sure when I got ill, but I've been sick for a while now. I don't mind much, as I'm too drowsy. I've taken my pills, and everything is alright. I've just by chance walked to the window, and that's when I saw it. A balloon, lost, flying on the wind.