Riding in a hot air balloon can be both fun & exciting, especially when you share the fun with someone else. Little Billy had wanted, as long as he could remember, to be able to ride high in the sky, where the birds soared freely. he would sit for hours staring at them as they would swoop & glide on an invisible cushion of air that helped them along. He would dream that maybe someday, just maybe, he too would be up there to freely soar like the birds. All boys & girls have special dreams, & when these dreams come true, it is a time of happiness shining from ear to ear as they experience their hearts desire & it becomes a reality to them.
And so it was with Billy this day, as he lay on his back on the front lawn just staring up into the sky. her had lived with Grandpa for as long as he could remember in their little stone house just outside of town, with their little garden & lots of trees to play in. He would run & play ball with his friends, go skating on the lake in the winter & spend hours fishing with is Grandfather in the summer. But, his big dream was to be way up high, all alone with his Grandpa. Far away from everyone else, just the two of them together.
Grandpa had flown the huge balloons years before, & he & Billy would sit on the porch after supper, telling him all about the thrill of riding on the wind far above the Earth. As Grandpa would tell his story, little Billy's eyes would widen as big a saucers, blocking out every other sound, just to listen to what Grandpa had to say. Tonight would be different though, for he had something special to talk to Billy about. He knew about Billy's dream, even without him telling him, for he could see it in his face whenever he told one of his stories.
Billy sat patiently while his grandfather told him that tomorrow morning they would be going away on a trip, but he would not tell him where they were going. All would say to him was, " Wait & see." This got Billy wondering as to what all the mystery was about.
Morning finally arrived with the sun shining through his bedroom window. Billy dressed in a hurry, leaving his T-shirt hanging out at the back, of course, and raced into the kitchen ti find grandpa had breakfast waiting for him. It was a delicious meal of pancakes, sausages & toast, but Billy was much too excited to eat more than he had to. His mind was on other things, such as where they were going today.
Would they be going on a fishing trip, or maybe Grandpa had packed a big picnic lunch for them & they would sit lazily on the grass, in the park that was in the centre of town. His imagination soared & Grandpa had to almost force him to finish his breakfast before they could get on their way.
Billy could hardly get out of the house fast enough & into the old car. Hid Grandfather didn't say a word, but started the engine & they drove off together. But, where were they going ? There was nothing our this way except farmer's fields & cows. After about a half hour ride, Billy saw something that made him almost jump off his seat. Standing so tall against the blue sky stood the biggest hot air balloon he had ever seen. It stood like an enormous tower, silently waiting for its passengers to board so it could begin the journey it was intended for. There it stood with all its colors of red, white & yellow on the balloon itself with a big basket at the bottom for people to ride in.
Billy jumped out of the car & ran as fast as he could up to the huge balloon. It was so big standing there all alone. he just stood there with his mouth open & the biggest look of surprise that was possible. After checking to see that all was in order, he & Grandpa climbed aboard the balloon & soon they were lifting off the ground. Billy looked as if he couldn't believe it was really happening. Up, up, up they went. Higher in the air with every second that passed. It was the strangest feeling he had ever experienced as he watched the ground move further & further away. The sky coming closer & closer toward them.
It was a dream come true, & he found it hard to make himself believe it was really happening. The higher they went, the closer the clouds seemed to come. It was like you could almost reach out & touch them. Off in the distance, he saw beautiful, snow capped mountains nestled against the distant horizon.
They were majestic, standing there so strong & silent, looking like they were on the edge of the world itself. He looked down & saw fields that looked like patches on an old quilt. He saw trucks, cars & a train that looked so small that they reminded him of toys moving by themselves. Billy watched as birds soared past the giant balloon, curious as to what it was.
They flew over their house & saw how different it looked from so high in the air. It was a strange & wonderful world floating high above everything. There was total silence, except for the sound of the gas itself, when Grandpa would adjust it to keep them afloat. There were the two of them, all alone in a world that was all theirs. It was a special time just between the two of them. Sharing this special moment with Grandpa meant more to Billy than he could ever tell.
Off they travelled, farther & farther away, until the balloon looked like only a dot drifting on the edge of the sky. Billy's dream had come true that day& it is w ithout a doubt that their balloon ride, along with many other things they did together, will hold memories for him that he will love & cherish for the rest of his life.
Dalton Lasher
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