I had often seen hot air balloons floating in the sky

This was going to be my first ride in one

I had to get up at dark othirty and drive to a remote field

The balloon was already unloaded and laying flat on the ground

Like a giant brightly colored bed sheet

The wicker basket was on its side

Is it really safe to fly in an oversize picnic basket

The ballon fabric was gossamer thin

More apprehension crept in

Helpers held open the hole in the canopy

The pilot fired up the burner with a huge roar

The dragon breath spewed horizontal flames inside the balloon

I had visions of the entire canopy being burned to a crisp

Within a few minutes a large cavity formed inside

It was big enough to contain a small house

Eventually the balloon rose up and pulled the basket up off its side

It was as if the beast had taken on a life of its own

Helpers grabbed ropes as we clambered inside

The fading darkness was still hiding my fears as we took off

The pilot was pulling on a control to put more fire into the belly of the beast

We floated up and along with ease as the sun crept up

Fields below resembled a painted quilt

Power lines criss crossed the landscape

I was fearful that we might eventually land on one

I did not want to die in a high voltage spark induced inferno

My fate lay in the hands of the young pilot

Who seemed worryingly even younger in full daylight

Vehicles snaked along the winding roads below

Resembling radio controlled toy cars

The rising sun played hide and seek with the clouds

As we silently drifted through the air

Even the wind was quiet up there

I prised my white knuckles off the edge of the basket

To take hold of a champagne bottle

I popped the cork and poured celebratory glasses for all

The bubbles tasted so special at a high elevation

Surprisingly I was now relaxed and enjoying the ride

The view was more intoxicating than the champagne

Time seemed to slow down up in the sky

The pilot announced the ride would be ending soon

I watched the fields below grow in size as we slowly came down

We descended with grace and gently bumped the ground

I watched the pilot frantically pulling on ropes to deflate the canopy

The basket tipped over sideways and we all started to laugh

The giant beast gave up its hot breakfast

It was expertly slain and slowly died on its side

We climbed out and hugged each other

It was good to feel solid ground under my feet again