I think you're probably right to be worried about the balloon going up again, but I don't think I've got any other way of the guys finding out where they need to go next :)
The craft There was a small crowd gathered when we laid out the silk and checked it for rips, and thankfully found none. That wandered away for a bit when they realised how long it took to fill the bag with hot air, and then reformed again once the bag was lifting into the air and bobbing around, nearly at the lift-off point. I checked the ropes we'd tied to the ground, walking slowly round them in a patrol-fashion, determined that this balloon wasn't going to fly off without us after all the work we'd put in. Jimmy checked the ropes on the basket and squinted up at the balloon seeing if they all looked right. We figured they did on the ground, but once it was in the air it was a different matter. Ben smoked a cigar and looked stern, keeping the locals at bay. "It looks ok," said Jimmy, as I drew near him. "Not that I saw it before it got wrecked, but there's nothing that doesn't look stranger than it ought, I think." "We'll find out when we get up there," I said. "Ben thinks he can steer this thing." "I've been thinking," said Jimmy. "I should stay here." "Got height-fright?" I didn't recall Jimmy ever being scared of heights, but I guess these things can come on sudden when you're confronted with something new like this. "No, but Ben knows how to fly this thing--" I snorted, but let him continue "--and you know what you're looking for--" I nodded, "--and I'd be extra weight, plus if anything goes wrong up there, all three of us would be there. If you crash, you might need someone to come pull you out of it and get you fixed back up." Tarnation, he was right. It did make sense to have a man on the ground as backup, and as good as Josie's cooking was, I wouldn't trust her to have my back in a fight. "You're right," I said slowly. "But that means we probably need to send you up in this another time with Ben. I think it's a good idea for you to know how this craft works, and if one of us has to stay down here all the time, then maybe you and Ben should both know how to steer the thing." "Not you, Red?" "When do you two give me time to steer and carry out whatever insane plan you've made me come up with?" I punched Jimmy lightly on the shoulder, and he laughed. "Fine, I'll prove I've not got height-fright another time then," he said. "Just a dislike of cold, rocky places where the stone presses down like it means to keep you." "Well yeah, that's understandable," I said. "But keep that to yourself, the walls have ears." Jimmy looked at the crowd, still kept back by Ben's unwavering glare, and dipped his head in acknowledgement. "That look full to you?" he asked, pointing to the balloon. It was now fully erect, which would amuse Ben no end when I mentioned it, and bumping the basket against the ground as it tried to get up in the clouds where it belonged. "Yep," I sighed, knowing that there was a chance that on this maiden voyage the basket would just disintegrate beneath me. "Time to find out how good our crafting is."
2 comments:
I think you're probably right to be worried about the balloon going up again, but I don't think I've got any other way of the guys finding out where they need to go next :)
The craft
There was a small crowd gathered when we laid out the silk and checked it for rips, and thankfully found none. That wandered away for a bit when they realised how long it took to fill the bag with hot air, and then reformed again once the bag was lifting into the air and bobbing around, nearly at the lift-off point. I checked the ropes we'd tied to the ground, walking slowly round them in a patrol-fashion, determined that this balloon wasn't going to fly off without us after all the work we'd put in. Jimmy checked the ropes on the basket and squinted up at the balloon seeing if they all looked right. We figured they did on the ground, but once it was in the air it was a different matter. Ben smoked a cigar and looked stern, keeping the locals at bay.
"It looks ok," said Jimmy, as I drew near him. "Not that I saw it before it got wrecked, but there's nothing that doesn't look stranger than it ought, I think."
"We'll find out when we get up there," I said. "Ben thinks he can steer this thing."
"I've been thinking," said Jimmy. "I should stay here."
"Got height-fright?" I didn't recall Jimmy ever being scared of heights, but I guess these things can come on sudden when you're confronted with something new like this.
"No, but Ben knows how to fly this thing--" I snorted, but let him continue "--and you know what you're looking for--" I nodded, "--and I'd be extra weight, plus if anything goes wrong up there, all three of us would be there. If you crash, you might need someone to come pull you out of it and get you fixed back up."
Tarnation, he was right. It did make sense to have a man on the ground as backup, and as good as Josie's cooking was, I wouldn't trust her to have my back in a fight.
"You're right," I said slowly. "But that means we probably need to send you up in this another time with Ben. I think it's a good idea for you to know how this craft works, and if one of us has to stay down here all the time, then maybe you and Ben should both know how to steer the thing."
"Not you, Red?"
"When do you two give me time to steer and carry out whatever insane plan you've made me come up with?" I punched Jimmy lightly on the shoulder, and he laughed.
"Fine, I'll prove I've not got height-fright another time then," he said. "Just a dislike of cold, rocky places where the stone presses down like it means to keep you."
"Well yeah, that's understandable," I said. "But keep that to yourself, the walls have ears."
Jimmy looked at the crowd, still kept back by Ben's unwavering glare, and dipped his head in acknowledgement. "That look full to you?" he asked, pointing to the balloon. It was now fully erect, which would amuse Ben no end when I mentioned it, and bumping the basket against the ground as it tried to get up in the clouds where it belonged.
"Yep," I sighed, knowing that there was a chance that on this maiden voyage the basket would just disintegrate beneath me. "Time to find out how good our crafting is."
Greg - looks like Ben and Red are heading up up and away again, huh? And Jimmy seems to have the right of things.
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