As far as the eye can see I imagined all that we could be At an altitude beyond expectation With my heart full of anticipation Of what lies ahead from here A conquering of doubt and fear A vantage point above it all The shame I have to uninstall At about 3,000 feet in the air I released my sense of despair

"Sooo...are you nervous?" Claire asked as she played with the buttons on my shirt.

I laughed and shook my head. "Ehhhh, maybe a little bit. Never been on a hot air balloon before."

She gave a little chuckle and looked up at me. "We never talked about if you were scared of heights...are you scared of heights?"

I shook my head again. "Naw, I'm not scared about heights. What about you?"

Claire shook her head again. "Nope. Ironically enough that's one of the things that I'm not scared of."

I smiled and gently kissed her. "I think the thing that scares me more is the fact that this is just some dude's private hot air balloon." I scanned over the deflated hot air balloon on the large patch of grass in front of us.

"I mean I found it on Groupon. I figured it would be reliable." Claire replied with a shrug.

Claire and I had been dating for a couple of months, and this was our first "unique" date. I was excited to do something that wasn't dinner, or a romantic night in. Was I scared that it was some random guy on Groupon?

A little.

A beat-up Honda Civic pulled up and parked next to my Prius, and out came a scrawny middle-aged man, he had unkempt brown hair and a pair of wire glasses that sat on a large nose. He wore a faded gray windbreaker and a pair of jeans that had seen better days.

"Didn't know The Riddler was going to be our instructor." I said quietly.

Claire let out a giggle that she suppressed with her hand and elbowed me in the rib. "Be nice." She snapped through clenched teeth.

Riddler gave us a nervous smile, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. He nervously pushed them up and made his way toward us.

"You two must be Claire and Chris." His voice was frail and low. I didn't quite make out what he said but I pieced it together.

I nodded my head. "That's us, and you must be..."

"Sebastian. And I'll be your instructor for the hot air balloon tour over the Shadowbrook Forest."

"Pleasure to meet you, Sebastian." I said, I held out my hand and he hesitantly took it for a very frail handshake. It was like shaking the hand of an old woman.

"You two relax while I get everything up and running. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes. We'll be up in the air before you know it."

With that, Sebastian made his way across the patch of grass to the hot air balloon. He even moved like an old woman.

"What a strange little man." I said, more to myself.

"Chris." Claire snapped, this got me another elbow jab to the gut.

Sebastian was a quick and diligent worker. He kept to himself the entire time and mumbled what sounded like directions to himself. We were up in the air in just over thirty minutes.

It was a truly beautiful experience. Claire had booked our slot for right at sunset and seeing that above the Shadowbrook Forest was nothing short of mesmerizing. I'd seen countless sunsets, but I never actually watched one, let alone watch one from so high up in the air.

Sebastian gave me a strange vibe when I first saw him, but he kept to himself. Checking the mechanics of the hot air balloon and addressing whatever concerns that came with managing a hot air balloon.

I wrapped my arms around Claire and kissed her gently on the neck once, moved up, and kissed her on the cheek. When I went in for a third her lips met mine and everything felt perfect. I felt her body tremble as we kissed, and it caused me to tighten my grip around her waist. I was crazy about this girl. She leaned her head against my shoulder, and the two of us just watched the sun as it lowered behind the trees of Shadowbrook.

"This is beautiful." I said to her. "Good job with the planning."

Claire rubbed my forearms around her waist and kissed me again. "I thought you'd like it."

"I love it."

It felt as though we were the only two people in that hot air balloon, and I wanted it to last forever, just Claire and I floating listlessly through the sky. For a moment I'd even forgotten that Sebastian was up there with us.

And then I heard him talking to himself. At first, I thought he was just mumbling things to himself, as he did when he was setting up the hot air balloon, earlier in the day. But some of the words stood out to me.

I felt Claire's body tense up, her eyes met mine and in those eyes, I saw a glimmer of worry. I let go of Claire and slowly turned towards Sebastian. His back was to us, his arms rigid as he grabbed onto the side of the wicker basket. His whispers sounded as though they were coming through clenched teeth.

He seemed uncomfortably tense.

Claire took one step toward him and I stopped her. I made my way towards Sebastian, I considered putting my hand on his back but decided against it. I didn't know this man's boundaries, and I needed to respect that.

"Sebastian...is everything..."

There was a gun in his waistband. Sebastian lowered his right hand and placed it on the handle. I could feel the air get thin, I could feel my legs grow weak beneath me. Sebastian pulled the gun from his waistband and aimed it at my forehead.

I heard Claire scream from off to my side. Sebastian jumped and directed the gun towards her. I immediately moved in front of her, unsure of what to expect, clueless to the notion that moving in front of her could have been the last move of my life.

"Whoa, Sebastian." I was at a loss for words, my mind was racing with what to say but I couldn't form a proper sentence other than: "Lower the gun."

His lips curled into a smile, but there was no emotion in his eyes. His brown hair draped over his glasses, his eyes darting frantically between myself and Claire. From behind me, I could feel Claire grip my shirt, so tight that I thought she'd tear it off.

My mouth felt like sandpaper, I could feel my throat closing in on itself, my heart thudded rapidly in my chest. "Do you want money? I can get you money Sebastian."

Sebastian shook his head. "I don't need money. Claire already paid me." His voice was flat, emotionless. "We don't need money where we're going, Christopher."

I narrowed my eyes. "And where are we going, Sebastian?"

"We're dying today Christopher. You, myself, and Claire. We're going to extinguish all the propane from the tank and see how far we can go. Then we're going to crash land at 3000 feet."

Claire let out a whimper from behind me. She wrapped her arms around my left arm and tucked her head into my shoulder.

I cautiously held both hands out in front of me. "Can we talk about this Sebastian? Can you lower the gun...please?" I nudged Claire away from me as I cautiously took a step forward.

And then Sebastian pulled the trigger. I felt a searing hot pain as it cut through my lower abdomen. The pain violently radiated throughout my entire body, causing my legs to give out beneath me. I collapsed to the floor of the wicker basket as my vision became impaired. Everything around me became blurry and smeared like an oil painting. I could hear Claire scream from behind me, but she sounded distant as if she were at the end of a long and empty tunnel. She dropped down below me, and through my blurred vision, I could see tears welt up in her eyes. Sebastian said something but he sounded as though he were miles away.

My eyes stayed on Claire, I could see her but I couldn't hear her, and maybe that was for the best. I could see Sebastian standing behind her, the gun aimed at the back of her head.

And then my world faded to black.

To Be Continued…

One afternoon, while Noah was spending quality time with his family, God tapped him on the shoulder and asked for a favor.

“I’m displeased by the rampant spread of evil throughout the world, so I need you to build a hot air balloon.”

“YOU’RE displeased?” Noah replied with righteous indignation. “How d’ya think I feel? I’m the one living amongst the heathens. You’re sitting in a cushy office.”

“How was I supposed to know Satan would gather so many followers once he was banished from Heaven?”

“Why didn’t you just stick him in government subsidized housing in a far corner of Heaven? Out of sight, out of mind.”

“I’ve got the Satan situation under control,” God assured. “I’m gonna drown his ass. That’s why I need the hot air balloon.”

Distracted by the requested favor, Noah dismissed trying to understand the correlation between drowning and flying. He knew God often worked in mysterious, incomprehensible ways. Sometimes, He talked that way too. It was an explanation Noah would ask about at a later date.

As he considered his options, Noah fell silent. The favor felt like an offer he couldn’t refuse. He thought of the parable about someone who denied a similar request and woke up with a horse’s head in his bed. Noah wondered if he would wake up with two of them.

Although he had neither ridden in a hot air balloon nor built one, Noah was intrigued by the challenge. How hard could it be, he wondered. Uncertain what to do, the internal debate continued. Impatient, God looked at His wristwatch while tapping His foot, and pushed for a response.

“If you aren’t up for this, I’ll give the job to Moses,” God explained. “Compared to parting the Red Sea, this should be a cakewalk.”

“No, I’m honored that you thought of me to accomplish this task,” Noah replied. “How soon do you need it?”

“You have one hundred days to get it done.”

“A little advance notice would have been nice.”

“Well, that’s what I’ve given you,” God pointed out. “Very little advance notice.”

Noah protested at the time frame provided until God relented and extended the deadline to one hundred years.

Still worried, Noah asked, “What happens if I don’t get it done in time?”

“Then you’ll drown with everybody else.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Noah admitted.

“Lemme teach you a new word I’m adding to the dictionary this year. The word is delegate.”

Noah thought about all of his management training sessions. He now had the opportunity to put that education into a practical application. Sold on the proposal, he voiced one last concern.

“What happens if I delegate the work to my sons and they don’t get it done in time?”

“Again,” God reiterated, “they’ll be left behind. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll teach your boys how to swim.”

“In that case, I better select my least favorite son.”

Unable to decide who was expendable, Noah approached all three of his sons. He tasked the trio with the challenge of building a hot air balloon. Upon hearing the requested dimensions, middle son Shem erupted with outrage.

“He wants the basket how large? What are we transporting? An ark?”

“I dunno,” Noah replied. “He didn’t share the passenger manifest, but something tells me we should stock up on life preservers.”

"Sandra, will you marry me?"

"Oh my gosh, yes! Of course, I'll marry you, Phil!"

Phil got off of his knee and kissed her. The third person in the balloon was actually a photographer in disguise and managed to get marvelous pictures of the newly engaged couple.

The sun was just setting, casting magnificent golden rays into the balloon as Phil and Sandra drifted just below the clouds.

They had just started their descent, when winds began shaking the balloon. The three passengers huddled in the middle of the balloon, away from all of the sides. But the wind started swaying the basket so much, that it was impossible for them to stay still.

They were being thrown about, trying to remain standing. One terrible gust of wind sent Phil teetering very close to the edge of the balloon.

"Phil!" Sandra called out from the other side of the balloon, reaching her arm out towards him.

He teetered for a few moments, before pulling himself safely back inside the balloon, causing Sandra to let out a big sigh of relief.

Just then, the basket rocked, causing him to fall down, down, down to his doom.

On a fine Saturday afternoon the worlds first hydrogen containment flying apparatus is about to make its debut flight. The ace flyer for this excursion is Thomas Wright accompanied by some individuals; the lavish duke of Ellington Hans von Ludwig, the countess from Bermingshire Elenor good fellow, and last but not lest the princess of our nation princess Sophia kalmora.

The pilot and the passengers got on board, the initial take off was smooth sailing. Until a burst of winds battled and shifted them off course. The passengers worried and fuel running low the pilot had to think of a safe way to land and a way to get a rescue party to them.

A dire situation turns even worse when the clash of thunder and the flash lightning illuminates the sky. Dark clouds gather and fear starts to rise. All hope is lost the passengers thought, but not if the pilot can help it he looked for a source to reignite the dying flame luckily the duke is a heavy smoker and had a match in hand. The balloon shakes and swerves along the wind currents, the pilot reach out his hand to the burner and slowly but surely the flame begins to dance and sway then boom. The fire expands the hot air envelopes the inside. Just in the nick of time as they slowly descend down back to the ground.

But this is just the first step now they need a way to call for help.

We flew up high Into the blue sky

We saw some humongous clouds And the people, who were like ants in giant crowds

We saw the blazing sun Burning like the hearts desire for fun

We saw the glimmering moon As the sky turned black, even in the noon

And finally we saw the stars They lit up the black mass like headlights in cars

And we flew up high Into the blue sky

She wanted to fly away from all she’s ever known. Fly away from the hurt, the work, the people, the place. Fly away from it all and forget. At this point, her life wasn’t worth fixing. It would be more efficient to fly away and start over. She could have a new life with new people and new adventures. But there would always be new hurt. Maybe that’s why a part of her heart stayed in town that day when she drifted off with the winds. And she could never forget. At least not fully. Some part of her would always remember the tough days and the people that didn’t treat her kind. The dreamy sunsets, but also the harsh rain. The warm summer days, and the cool winter breeze. Happiness always comes with a price, and for her, it wasn’t worth it.

‘This is insane.’ I thought to myself clenching onto the coarse, itchy rope. It dug into my blood-stained palms as I grasped to keep pulling my body upwards. The rooftops danced with my feet as I watched myself get lifted yards above the ground. Guards, and officers have fluttered across the streets , shooting their bullets towards me. I steady before continuing to climb the rope as the hot air balloon rises itself higher into the night sky. I feel the breeze of the cool air hit my warm cheeks, the buzzing, almost that of bees, when the bullets whiz by daring to touch my skin. White stars twinkled in the absence of a moon, and the golden red fire that fueled the ride, made soft crackles and sighs. If I wasn’t being hunted, this would be a breathtaking moment. My body slammed to the right, a single bullet found itself a home in my left thigh. A scream got stuck in my throat, as pain crawled along my nerves, and blood started soaking my leggings. The urge to let go of the rope, and curl up crying ate me alive. The pain unbearable. Tears, blood, and dirt caked my face as I forced myself to keep climbing. Through my bloodshot eyes, I could make out a gloved hand reaching down from the basket. I could only hear the blast of the trigger, and little ringing that followed after. I felt my body getting closer and closer to giving up after every pull. My head was spinning at accelerated rates, adrenaline and pain were pumping through my veins. I reached the top, close enough to wrap my bony fingers around the helper above me. With a finally pull, I was effortlessly lifted from the sky.

I stood there at the county fair, the dust of Kansas swirling all around me. I gazed to my left, eyeing the Ferris wheel. My eyes widened as I saw Beth Chambers looking up at it, watching it go round and round.

I started towards her, intending to ask her to join me for a ride. Only to stop a moment later as Warren Delaney appeared at her side. She took his hand, smiling up at him, shattering my heart.

I turned away, hurt, disgusted, that she would be so captivated by such an unoriginal, plodding lunkhead. But his father was the richest man in town so those things could be overlooked. I was the son of a blacksmith and, with three others in town, not sought-after in the slightest.

My gaze turned towards the endless waving grasses surrounding the fair, the town, the state. I put my hands in the back pockets of my patched pants and thought about heading home. I turned to do exactly that and that was when I saw it, the hot-air balloon, larger than I had imagined and far more beautiful.

The envelope was a striking shade of emerald green, dazzling in the midst of so much beige. I moved toward it as if pulled by the same bright yellow ropes that held it fast to the earth. The aeronaut’s back was toward me as I approached.

I cleared my throat and, much to my surprise and delight, the aeronaut was a young woman, about my own age. Her hair was raven black, her eyes as green at the balloon, enhanced by her attire, jodhpurs and ruffled shirt, the very same shade.

“Would you like to take a ride?” she asked, her voice a purr, startling me with her directness.

I could only nod as she held out her hand, leading me to the basket and deftly slipping inside. I followed suit, my heart mending itself, beating stronger than ever.

“Are you ready-?” And here, she hesitated. “I don’t know your name.” She blushed and smiled up at me through her lashes.

“Oscar,” I offered. “Oscar Diggs.”

“Oscar Diggs,” she echoed, her hand caressing my cheek. “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

Nodding dumbly, I forgot that I knew nothing about her, not even her name. I was so dazed that I didn’t see the flash of the blade she produced from her side until she had slashed one of the ropes.

“What are you doing?!?” I cried out as the balloon jerked, longing to break free.

She ignored me and moved towards the other rope. Then, she seemed to reconsider, handing the knife to me.

“It’s your choice, Oscar.”

I looked at the knife, then down at the little town that had been my only home. I could almost see the blacksmith’s shop that was my future.

My eyes came back to rest on the dazzling stranger before me.

And I cut the other rope.

Who would want to fly in a hot air balloon? Drifting away in freedom or wandering out of control? Tethered me to what is stable so i can feel assured, who wants to fly in a hot air balloon? Thats too much freedom