The Luna and her Quadruplet Pups by Jane Above Story

Chapter 57

Chapter 57- Crash Landing

Ethan

Jane is huddled in one corner of the basket as we plum met towards the ground, her eyes clamped tightly shut as she holds on for dear life. At a certain point I had to cut the propane off completely, the storm arrived too fast, and a gradual fall was too risky. Now we’re being batted around like a ping-pong ball trapped in some macabre game played by the gods of thunder and lightning, and it’s only getting worse.

When the nylon balloon tears, true fear slices through me for the first time. Up until then I was worried but optimistic: as long as the balloon was intact and we stayed in the basket, eventually we’d have to land. However one of those factors just got shredded, and the other was about to go right out the window with it. Still, I had to take the risk – for Jane’s sake if not my own.

Wrapping one of the dangling ballast ropes around my wrist, 1 begin climbing onto the edge of the basket, edging around to the side of the balloon that tore. Just then a terri fied but familiar voice reaches my ears, “Ethan, what are you doing?!”

“I have to fix the tear!” I shout back.

“It’s too dangerous!” Jane screams, crawling out of her corner and trying to cross over to me, as if she wants to pull me back inside.

“I have to!” I call back, holding out a hand to stop her fran tic movement, “Just stay there and let me do this. There’s no other way.”

To my immense relief she obeys, watching me with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Climbing up the rigging, it takes nearly all my strength to hold on as we careen through the air, but eventually I manage to reach the tear. Grasping one side of the nylon with one hand, I take a deep breath and let go of the ropes long enough to reach out and grab the other side of the ripped envelope.

Bringing the two sides together, I quickly tie the shredded ends and loop my arms and legs through the ropes crisscross ing over the balloon, stabilizing myself as I prepare to ride out the rest of this disastrous flight. The base is more secure now, but I’m going to have to hold the sides of the tear to prevent it from ripping further at the top. Luckily these mountains are high enough that we aren’t far from the ground now, but we still have a crash landing to survive.

Jane pulses through me as I watch the mountains draw nearer, occasionally illuminated by blinding flashes of lightning. The last thing I wanted was for her to be harmed. She has to survive this and not only because she means the world to me, but because if it comes down to one of us, the pups need

as –

my life, but eventu ally we hit the ground like a ton of bricks, and I throw myself free of the balloon a second before the envelope hits the rocks, The basket is on it’s side, but I

and onto her feet, “Come here, let me look

blonde strip of velcro, throwing her arms around my middle and

just a little bit of pride that she’s seeking me for comfort, I return her hug and bury my head in

head against my rain-drenched shirt, and I cuddle her closer. “It’s

her hand to wards my bicep and I catch it reflexively, not allowing

sorry, I never would have done it if I thought there was a

is buried in my chest, and she grumbles some thing indecipherable. I’m sure it was an accusation of insult of some sort, but as long as she’s hugging me, I don’t care what names she wants to call me. I could gladly do this all day. However when I

of the b-basket and I thought… I thought you were g-going to die and-” She sobs, staring at me with a look

cover the sudden pang in my heart quickly, “T” m sorry I

sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. A red smear appears on her cheek then, and | catch her hand as carefully as I can. Angry red gashes dot her palms, and I spy a few shards of

far from the temple.” | announce, glancing back at Jane. “Are you up for a little walk – I don’t think we’re going to

grumpily. “But

chuckle softly, leading

failing to jerk her hand away

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