Episode 33

Reflections from the life and times of Mr. Smith. I continued on my journey toward California. I was in the mountains of Colorado. My brakes were not working and my car was stalling after every hill. Danger lurked everywhere. On a 180 degree turn, I knew there was no hope. So I opened my sunroof, and pulled my parachute string. The car fell toward depths of the rocky terrain of the Rocky Mountains. My parachute had not opened. I was turning as I fell. I was falling like a fish out of water. Like a bird in the water. My cries for help were torn from my lips by the violent air. They descended on no man’s ear. With a jolt I landed on the top of a hot air balloon. I started to slide down towards the basket. The basket swayed beneath me, being tossed back and forth like a plaything by the wind. I saw a face staring up at me. It was unshaven with a graying beard. I managed to hit the basket. I clung to the side with all my strength. Suddenly, weak frail hands grabbed my wrists and pulled me into the basket. An old man sat there, panting. I said “thank you.” He just turned his head and he died. The poor man had overexerted himself, and I was left alone in a hot air balloon in the Colorado Rockies with not a clue how to handle one of those balloons. From my perch high in the sky I saw a fireball ascending on high. It came from what was left of my car (which was not at all.) My stomach growled. I was hungry. I needed my feet to be on firm ground again. Slowly the balloon sank lower, lower. The trees started brushing past the basket. Their needles poked my cheek. I reached out and grabbed the top of a pine tree, trying to stop the balloon from moving. Instead, the balloon kept moving and I stayed there. The tall tree started to bend. I sank to the ground, and as my feet touched, I let go of the tree. I saw it fling up into the sky, and smack into the balloon, popping it instantly. As the carnage rained down, I looked around and wondered, how far was I from civilization?
Thus ends this week’s reflections. And then my mirror image disappeared.