The Balloons of the Gnomes of the Blue Ether

During my visit to the Royal Aquarium I encountered a man who, like me, was a visitor from another faraway place. After talking for a while, he told me that he was going to be taking a short little vacation cruise in the Ether. Naturally I didn't understand what he meant until he explained to me that every year, visitors from another place arrive in Cw to trade. This had been going on for centuries and the moment was always accompanied by a grand festivity when the Balloon Gnomes of the Blue Ether (so they called themselves) arrived from above. The Royal Family was always invited to experience the wonders of this flight and, so too, were other people who wished to enjoy the feasting that was carried above the clouds. Naturally, I wished to see this for myself as well.

The day came, and there were many celebrations in Cw, punctuated by the landing of these large floating devices in the enormous central square. The Gnomes came out and the feasting lasted into the night, whereupon the Gnomes then invited all those who had yet not seen their marvels at work into the great ships. Tables were laden below decks inside the great galleons of the sky. Fruits, wines, and viands from other distant places were laid out in splendour and the feasting continued as we slowly rose into the sky.

The night was dark and peaceful as we rose into the warm air. Everyone looked out of the windows at the rear of the ships in awed silence as the world fell away and the stars came out in more colours than the pen could ever describe. The only sounds, for a while, were the little 'tuf-tuf' noises that the boilers made to fill the balloons with the warm magical smoke, breathing life into the festively decorated bags above us.

And then...we burst into the space above us. All around us were coloured trails left by the balloons, mingling with the essence of star dusts, glittering in the beautiful eternal light of the shining sun. We sailed slowly around the planet, making our way to other worlds for the brief excursion. The feasting resumed as many gazed into the wonders through the windows, sipping at their wine goblets and listening to the happy Gnomes recount the wonders they had experienced from a lifetime of sailing the stars.

Later, when the last of the guests had gone to bed, I was allowed to climb up on deck and took a picture of the Blue Ether in all of it's glory. The air was warm and silent, save for the never ending soft little putters of the boilers.

And then I returned to sleep the night within the beautiful light of the stars.

- Traveling Uncle Nat. :)

05/31/99