Unexpected Flight

Unexpected Flight (168 Words)

Mayor Grady absolutely denied he had ever wanted to be on a cross-country flight in a hot air balloon. He was only at the balloon’s unveiling to support the community. The two engineers also denied any intention of actually wanting to fly the balloon anywhere. They were only there to support their company.

So when the balloon somehow managed to pull free and ascended patiently some five hundred feet above solid ground, no one was more surprised than its three passengers.

“How do you get this thing down?” said Mayor Grady, holding desperately to the basket.

One of the engineers tried the mechanism for slowly releasing hot air.

“It’s not working,” he said. “I think it’s broken.”

“Maybe we’ll be struck by lightening,” said the other engineer hopefully. “That would take it down.”

Mayor Grady sat down and covered his head with his arms. He was trying not to think of the wide forest that looked so tiny below them.

This was going to be a long flight.

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Written in response to Sunday Photo Fiction’s Photo Prompt, and the Daily Post’s Daily Prompt. Check ’em out! Photo (c) Susan Spaulding.