Soaring Away
by Emily Reed
The wicker basket was tugged up, up, up, into the sky as the passengers huddled around the heat.The same heat that propelled the balloon so they could stay warm on that chilly December morning.
The balloon glided like a dewdrop through the spindly silk of a spider’s web. It sweetly slipped from one thread to the other as it changed direction and swayed in the wind.
Once they were up high enough in the sky, they could leave the safety of the heat. They used this opportunity to grip the basket and peer over the edge.
The floating observatory gave them a perfect view of Baltimore. People were racing on the highway, ultimately going nowhere fast. Traffic jams a mile long that created such frustration amongst drivers who were so busy that the thought of slowing down for a second was unheard of. Others saw the cemetery and the shabby church beside it.
What they each chose to see in the vast landscape was a reflection of themselves and what they were trying to forget.
One was flying to leave the standards that plagued them. Another was flying to get over the death of a loved one. And the last was trying to escape the abysmal normalcy of a 9-5 desk job.
The rainbow kaleidoscope was their sanctuary from their baggage below. At one point, they’d have to return to the baggage claim, but, for now, they sat back and enjoyed the ride.
The balloon glided like a dewdrop through the spindly silk of a spider’s web. It sweetly slipped from one thread to the other as it changed direction and swayed in the wind.
Once they were up high enough in the sky, they could leave the safety of the heat. They used this opportunity to grip the basket and peer over the edge.
The floating observatory gave them a perfect view of Baltimore. People were racing on the highway, ultimately going nowhere fast. Traffic jams a mile long that created such frustration amongst drivers who were so busy that the thought of slowing down for a second was unheard of. Others saw the cemetery and the shabby church beside it.
What they each chose to see in the vast landscape was a reflection of themselves and what they were trying to forget.
One was flying to leave the standards that plagued them. Another was flying to get over the death of a loved one. And the last was trying to escape the abysmal normalcy of a 9-5 desk job.
The rainbow kaleidoscope was their sanctuary from their baggage below. At one point, they’d have to return to the baggage claim, but, for now, they sat back and enjoyed the ride.