The Big Balloon

As they walked around the fenced area at the petting zoo, looking for Pinky the Pig, Booker-T saw the big red and white balloon across the field from the zoo.

"Hey Midge!" said Booker-T. "Look over there."

"Wow!" said Midge. "That is a big balloon. Lets go see what they are doing."

"I think that is one of those big balloons they say are hot," said Jake.

"The balloon is hot?" said Midge.

"Remember when we went to the park where they had all the balloons?" said Jake.

"Oh, I remember," said Booker-T.

"Why do they call the balloon, hot?" asked Midge.

"I think they call it hot air," said Jake.

"Do they put hot air in them?" asked Booker-T.

"I watched them when we saw them at the park," said Jake. "They had fire going into the balloon."

"Why don't they call it a hot fire balloon?" asked Midge.

"I don't know," said Jake tilting his head to the side as he stared at the balloon. "But when they turn on the fire, the balloon goes up in the air."

"My owner puts something called helium in the birthday balloons when she blows them up for a party," said Midge. "Why don't they put helium into the big balloons?"

"Maybe it would take too much helium," suggested Jake.

"Why is he making the fire and the balloon isn't going up?" asked Booker-T.

"The balloon is tied to that tree," said Jake.

"I want to ride in the big balloon basket," said Midge.

"You could jump in before they take off," said Jake. "But remember the baskets we saw. There is no where to hide in them. When they got in, they would see you."

"I could run and jump in right before he took off in the balloon," suggested Midge.

"That would be dangerous," said Jake. "You might fall to the ground and get hurt."

They stood and watched the men as they lite up the fire and the balloon was blown up really big. As they watched, the man in the blue shirt, climbed into the basket and told the other two men to untie the ropes from the trees. They held tight to the rope. Just as the basket started to lift off the ground, Midge ran to the basket as fast as her little legs would carry her. When she got close to the basket, she jumped up and dug her claws into the side of the basket.

"Hey!" screamed the man in the basket. "Where did that dog come from?"

Midge hung onto the side of the basket and the man reached over the side and got hold of her collar and pulled her into the basket.

"Crazy dog," said the man as he set Midge on the bottom of the basket. "What are you doing here?"

Midge sat and looked at the man as she tilted her head from one side to the other. The man reached down and patted her on the head. As they flew above the school, Midge stood up at the side of the basket and put her paws on the top edge and tried to peek over the side. She wasn't tall enough to see much. She could see the top of the trees as they floated past them. In the school parking lot, the balloon began to slowly lower to the ground.

Jake and Booker-T ran along the sidewalks trying to follow the balloon as it floated through the air toward the school. As they got close to the school, they saw that the balloon was coming down in the parking lot. They hurried across the parking lot to where it finally landed. Behind them came the two men who held the ropes. They grabbed the ropes as the basket came to rest in the parking lot. Jake and Booker-T ran to the basket. The man in the basket lifted Midge up and handed her to one of the men who set her on the ground where she ran over to Jake and Booker-T.

"Hey Midge," said Jake. "Did you have fun?"

"Wow, Midge," said Booker-T. "I was so scared when you were hanging on the side of that basket.

Gabby flew down where they were sitting and landed on Midge's head. "Hey Midge!" said Gabby. "I saw you in that basket. How did you get a ride in the balloon basket?"

"She ran and jumped onto the side of the basket as it started to go into the air," said Booker-T.

"You could have gotten hurt Midge," said Gabby.

"It was so much fun," said Midge. "The man was nice."

"He didn't get angry at you?" asked Booker-T.

"No," said Midge. "He pulled me into the basket and said I was a crazy dog."

"Sometimes you are, Midge," laughed Jake. "It is good thing he didn't toss you to the ground."

"He was nice," said Midge. "After he said I was a crazy dog, he patted me on the head."

"Did you see us running after the balloon?" asked Booker-T.

"I couldn't see anything on the ground," said Midge. "I was too short to see over the basket edge. It was fun floating in the air in that basket. He made the fire burn all the time when we were flying through the air. He turned it down when we started to land and he was talking to someone on a phone."

"You could have fallen off the side of that basket, Midge," said Booker-T. "I'm glad that the man could pull you into the basket with him."

"Me too," said Midge. "I was scared hanging there and I could see the ground getting further away from me."

"Now you are on the ground," said Jake.

"It was fun but I like my four feet on the ground," said Midge.

"So you don't want to fly anymore?" asked Gabby. "You always want to fly like me."

"I still wish I could fly like you do Gabby," said Midge. "I think it would be cool to fly above everyone and see everything from the sky. Do your wings ever get tired?"

"Sometimes," replied Gabby. "When I get tired, I land in a tree and rest."

"Can we go visit Pinky at the petting zoo now?" asked Booker-T.

"Sure," said Midge. "Lets go. I wish I could fly over there."

"Forget about flying Midge," said Jake. "I will race you there."

The three took off running along the sidewalk to the petting zoo with Gabby flying above.