BALLOON BUBBLES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 98, 19 January 1935, Page 23

BALLOON BUBBLES

Over The Fence and Far Away Eva sat in the sun blowing bubbles, strings and strings of them, all the colours of the rainbow. One after the other they floated on the gentle breeze up into the bright sky, until all you could see of them was a tiuv silver ring in the air, then all at once, nothing at all. Eva gazed and gazed after them as they slipped into the sky, and all the time she was blowing and blowing and blowing into her white cl-tv ffine Her eyes were so dazzly with the brightness she didn’t notice when she began to blow a bright blue bubble as big as a plum as big as an apple, then as big as a pumpkin, then as big as Eva herself. And when at last she blinked her eyes shut so she could see properly the bubble was as biff as a lir tree. It was so big the tiptop of it was right up in the sky and the soapy drip at the bottom was big enough for Eva to crawfl soapy drip o£ . course . It a big blue basket with silver ropes holding it on to the balloon. Eva climbed into it in a minute and whiff, whiff, along came the summer breeze and lifted them over the back fence and away. Eva began to wonder where she was going Suddenly she saw a little boy dressed as an aviator sitting in the basket beside her. “Hullo,” she said, “Who are you?” . . “This happens to be my balloon.” said the aviator, raising his eyebrows. “Indeed” said Eva. “Well I suppose you know who made it, do you. “I know vou think you did,” was the rather short reply. “But as a matter of fact it would have been only a silly little bubble that would burst at the first puff of wind if I had not had a finger in the pie. “Now please don’t be cross,” said Eva. ‘Let s say we both made it. The aviator was pleased at that. He did want to be friends*with her. “Did you know this was going to be an adventure?” he asked. ?An exciting one?” Eva asked him.. ~ ~ The aviator waved his hand at the township below. Doy\n there, he said “live the Pickadees. They’ve stolen little Ah Song who lives in the fruit shop. He’s such a clever little boy they thought they d bring him up to be their king. Our job is to get him back again. “How ever will we do that?” asked Eva. ‘Easily enough” said Aviator. “We’ll just drop down in our parachutes, blow another balloon and fly away with him. I suppose you did bring your pipe with you?” , Eva’s eyes went big with fright. “I never thought of it,” she said. “I dropped it over the side as I climbed in.” Aviator sat and thought. “We’ll find a way. out,” he said. Were passing over the palace grounds now, so come along. He jumped out and let his parachute undone. Eva wasn't slow to follow and in a minute they were drifting like two silver leaves to the ground. “I’m glad we’re here,” said Eva, sitting up and rubbing her head. She had landed with rather a bump. “But I’ll be gladder when we get a " a “We must find Ah Song first,” said Aviator. “Follow me.” Soon thev found the palace. It was a lovely palace, all made of cleat golden ‘toffee. The Pickadees saw them coming up the hill, and stood*in a ring talking about the'm. They were funny little people not nearlv as tall as Eva and dressed in very brightly coloured clothes. “They know what we want, and they’re going to make mischief,” said A-Vititor. Those sly Pickadees! They pretended to be so friendly and took the children inside and gave them strawberries to eat wflth ice cream on them. “Now,” said Aviator when they’d had enough, where is Ah Song. They looked at each other and shook their heads. “We don’t know,’ they said. ~ , T . ... ■“Of course you do,” said Aviator. jNow don tbe silly. It will rain on your toffee palace and melt it if you don t tell me. I know a way to make it.” ‘ , . That was enough to frighten the Pickadees. ran away and in a minute they came back with little Ah Song. “We were only giving him a holiday,” said a fat little Pickadee. “You don’t think we wanted to keep him do you?” Aviator only smiled. “Now I want a pipe to blow bubbles with,” he said, “and some soapy water.” Eva was very surprised when they sent for the things at once. ■“They’re not going to make trouble after all,” she said. Aviator didn’t say a word. He just waited till the Pickadees weren’t looking. They were all crowding round Ah Song to say good-bye—and then he tipped the pipe upside down. Eva noticed some fine white dust fall out of it. Then Aviator began to blow. And he blew and blew and blew until the bubble was as big as a plum, then as big as an apple, then as big as a pumpkin, then as big as himself, and then he cried, “Jump in, Ah Song and Eva.” And away they flew. All the Pickadees stood watching after them with mouths wide open. “They weren’t quite clever enough,” said Aviator. “That dust would have burst the balloon when it left the ground if I hadn’t shaken it out.” “It certainly was an adventure,” said Eva when she and Ah Song landed with a bump on the back lawn. But Ah Song had run away home and Aviator was off in the clouds again. Eva could just see the balloon disappearing. “I think I’ll make another one like that,” she said to .herself. But she just couldtft, though she tried for hours and hours. —Written for “The Junior Dominion," by Dorothy Joy Wilson, Dunedin.