Three blokes decided to chance it and get up in a balloon one cold still morning.  They’d all come from different directions, having been individually sent invitations from a mysterious donor.  Kind of a gift card with a free balloon flight.

The balloon took off on time at 6am sharp in the cool morning air, the driver skillfully manipulating the gas burner, making the balloon just skim the treetops, nice and level, barely moving in the still air.

The driver handed around some Brut in champagne flutes. ‘Here’s to our new adventure’ he said. ‘You know – people have been riding balloons since the French invented them for over 200 years now. Very safe you are.’ he said.

After drinking the three guys were having a conversation about the effect of alcohol on the balloon.  The first guy said, ‘you know I think that the driver was a little ‘heavy handed with the champagne and that’s what made the balloon sink just now… too heavy handed.’

The second guy was feeling a bit light headed and seemed to feel even more light headed as the balloon started to rise.  This was probably due to his almost unbearable lightness of being.

The third guy was becoming less and less down to earth and then started making even more light of the situation with his incredibly unsubtle and weak minded jokes.  Thus the balloon kept rising .. the balloon did not stop rising until it had reached at least 10000 feet and the guys were worried that they might suffer from lack of oxygen.  The true gravity of the situation then hit them like a ton of bricks.  The balloon descended rapidly due to the additional weight and then they guys all started throwing gold bricks overboard.  It doesn’t take too many bricks to make a ton but that is not the point really.  Overboard with all the gold from the early morning rays of the sun and the balloon gradually leveled out again.

‘More Champagne ?’ asked the driver.

Photo courtesy Tersiiska:Flickr Copyright 2014