The clouds were like puzzle pieces against the horizon. The colors were spectacular, reminding me of the mother-of-pearl necklace I'd seen at the jewlery store when we'd gone shopping for mother's day gifts. This was so much better. Green expanse of fields stretched out below us like a mural. Houses were so tiny they were more than a speck.
Suzy pointed off in the distance. She always seen things first. Sometimes I held that against her. But that day I couldn't believe my eyes. The green blanket of grass far below us was giving way to a vastly different landscape. Jagged rocks and steep canyons suddenly dominated the earth below us.
My heart was pounding in my chest at the sheer power of such an element. Suzy was of course clapping with excitement as she scribbled down everything she saw. Maybe it was that excitement that kept us from noticing how the sky had turned pewter, thick stormclouds rumbling in from the west. Drops of rain pelted the balloon almost making music in a steady beat. Thunder swept up around us, making both the balloon and me shiver in it's wake.
"We can't land yet. I have to record this." Suzy shouted, bravely leaning over an edge to record her thoughts on what was happening around us.
"We've got to find a place to take her down. Lightning is not our friend." I mumbled, working the igniter and other mechanisms. But my nervousness had gotten the best of me. I pulled the wrong cord and instead of gently wafting to the ground, the balloon spurted upwards as if attracted to the sound of thunder.
"What are you doing?" Suzy shouted, dropping her steno-pad and reaching for the cords. In her frenzy she pulled harder than she should have and the cord dangled in her hand.
The thunder was closer, seemingly bouncing us through the sky like a pinball. Fear slashed across my face as Suzy plopped down in a corner of the bucket. I did the same, panic completely eliminating me of any plausible thinking.
And then the worst happened. Lightning began to spew around us, the air tasting electric as we sailed further and higher into the sky. Each clap of thunder rattled our balloon, sending tremors through us. I felt the first rope beginning to fray and I should have been able to think fast enough to do something, but I watched in helpless fascination as each tiny hair of the rope gave way.
The fear on Suzy's face only confirmed what I'd already felt. The other ropes were giving way. The basket started to topple and I reached for Suzy but far too late to save her or myself. We screamed, hearts pounding louder than thunder as we fell through the sky.
"What are you girls doing? It's time to take this box to the curb." Mom's voice cut through our screams as we toppled to the floor.
Both Suzy and I cackled with laughter as we pulled the box over our heads and started another adventure.
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