The Volcanic Date

“We’re running out of time!” panicked Brayden.

“You got us into this situation, and now you’re going to get us out,” replied Angela.

“Well, yeah I would. But how was I supposed to know that the hot air balloon would malfunction?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have lowered the hot air balloon into a volcano,” Angela spoke firmly. She walked towards him. Her eyes were filled with rage.

“Listen, I was just going to lower the hot air balloon a little bit and then raise it back into the air. This whole thing was supposed to be a joke anyways! Nothing else! I’m truly sorry!” exclaimed Brayden, trying to defend himself.

“Yeah. Well, this joke of yours got us trapped above a volcano that could erupt any minute. And if it doesn’t, we’ll be lucky and rot to death when this hot air balloon goes inside the volcano,” Angela exaggerated.

Brayden stood there stunned at his girlfriend’s outburst. He lowered his head, staring at the ground, feeling ashamed. Their date was ruined, but Brayden was determined to fix it, and fast. The hot air balloon was close to the opening of the volcano. He needed to find a way to hoist it back into the air. Desperate, he lifted his head and stared right at the burner, praying that it would provide him with a solution.

“You okay, Brayden?” spoke Angela, startling him. “Why are you looking at the burner? It’s not like we can change it or anything.”

“Change it,” Brayden mumbled, quietly to himself. He looked around the basket, hoping to find an extra burner. Luckily, he did. 

“Brayden, are you actually looking for an extra burner? You know we can’t change it in the air.”

“Do you know that for sure? ” questioned Brayden.

“What I do know is that there would be no hot air keeping the balloon afloat, which means the balloon would deflate and descend into the volcano!”

“But Angela, it’s worth a shot! What other choice do we have? We know for sure that the burner is the problem. I reduced the temperature of the burner to cause the hot air balloon to descend and-”

“Yeah, I know. The temperature is continuing to drop and we’re going to soon enter the volcano.” Angela looked at Brayden. “Fine, let’s do it.”

Brayden took out his phone. Using cellular data, he searched up ‘how to change a hot air balloon’s burner.’ Tapping the first link that appeared, he quickly skimmed through the instructions and took a screenshot. He looked up at Angela, who was using her hand as a fan to cool herself down, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s hot, isn’t it?” 

“Very. We’re over a volcano and the burner brings in some extra heat.”

“Yeah. Thankfully, changing the burner doesn’t seem that hard.”

“How quickly do you think it will take?”

“Around five minutes.”

“Oh really, it’s that easy?” Angela said, doubtful.

“Yeah. Here, take a look,” Brayden replied, showing Angela the instructions. She read through it, then turned her head to face Brayden.

“These instructions are for when you first assemble the hot air balloon, not mid flight. This can’t possibly take five minutes.”

“That’s encouraging,” Brayden said, feeling stumped.

“I’m sorry, Brayden. That wasn’t my intention. But can we please not argue? Let’s focus on changing the burner. The basket has already entered the volcano!”

Brayden peeked over the edge of the basket, and guessed that they had a maximum of ten minutes before the entire hot air balloon would be in the volcano.

“Ok, you’re right. We need to focus. The first thing the instructions mention is to handle the burner with special care.”

“Got it. Do you think I should turn the burner off and help it cool down?” asked Angela.

“Yes. You do that, and I’ll prepare the extra burner.”

Angela nodded, walking towards the controls. She switched it off. Then using her mouth, Angela blew on the burner in an attempt to cool it down. On the other hand, Brayden sat and unzipped the bag containing the other burner. He lifted one side, propping it up against the basket. Then he stood up and turned around to aid Angela. 

“Thank goodness it’s slightly windy right now. Otherwise, we’d never be able to cool this burner quickly,” said Angela.

“For real,” agreed Brayden. “I think we should stop now. Let’s move on.”

“But what if it’s still hot?”

“Time to find out,” spoke Brayden, placing his pointer finger on the burner. Angela watched in horror, afraid that her boyfriend would burn himself. However when he lifted his finger, there appeared to be no burn mark. Angela sighed, feeling extremely thankful. ”

At that moment, Brayden peered over the edge and saw that the basket had fully entered the volcano. 

“Ok, we probably have less than seven minutes before the whole hot air balloon is in the volcano. We have to change this burner as fast as possible,” Brayden said firmly.

“Less talking, more working,” reminded Angela. 

Brayden nodded. He grabbed his phone and googled ‘how to take the burner out of a hot air balloon,' however, there was no service. He must have run out of data. Feeling defeated, Brayden’s fury rose. Angela noticed his behavior. She suggested that he open the instructions and follow it backwards.

“Now how is that going to work Angela?”

“Think about it. If you follow the instructions the correct way, it teaches you how to put the burner in, but if you follow it backwards, the opposite happens!” exclaimed Angela.

“You’re a genius,” thanked Brayden.

“Praise me later,” Angela spoke.

“So the first thing we need to do is unscrew the hose that is connected to the burner. Wait, what? It says apply five pounds of pressure when wrenching in the hose. So-”

“So Brayden, you are most likely going to have to do the same when unwrenching. Oh, by the way, here’s a wrench. It was in the bag.”

“Thank you.” Brayden took the wrench, put his phone aside, and attempted to detach the hose. He used all his might. His face wrinkled, he was turning red, and he looked as if he was about to burst. Angela was about to step in and tell him to catch his breath, when suddenly, the hose detached. 

Brayden dropped the wrench, gasping for air. Angela came over with his phone in her hand and gave Brayden a high-five. Then, they reviewed the next step together. 

“The instructions say something about a whisper valve and red knob being pinned in place,” said Angela. “It seems that they are attached to the bottom of the burner.”

“So I guess we find a pin now,” Brayden replied. 

He observed the bottom of the burner, searching for the pin. Finally, he found it. Brayden pulled out the pin and tried to lift the burner from its place, when Angela came over and stopped him. 

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing trying to pick up the burner by yourself? The instructions say it's heavy. We’ll do it together.”

“Yeah sorry. I don’t know where my head was at.”

“It’s fine, I understand. We’re in a death-defying situation,” assured Angela, pausing for a brief moment. “On the count of three, we lift. One, two, three!” 

Using all their strength, Brayden and Angela managed to boost it.

“What now?” asked Angela, still holding the burner with Brayden.

“Now you give the burner to me.”

“Why Brayden?”

“Because these strings around us aren’t going to let us bring the burner down together. They’d block our arms.”

“If you say so.”

“Yes, now hurry. The balloon is starting to deflate and I’m toasting,” said Brayden, with tons of sweat dripping down his face. Angela nodded and Brayden gave her a countdown. She lightly pushed the burner into his hands and quickly rushed over to aid him.

“Should we put it down right here?” asked Angela, grabbing on to the burner.

“Yeah.” 

They carefully set it down. Brayden signaled Angela to help him hold the other burner. Synchronized, they counted to three aloud, lifting it. Then, Angela slowly transferred all the weight of the burner to Brayden. She guided him towards where the burner would sit, with one on his back, and the other beneath the burner. 

“Slowly Brayden,” said Angela, concerned. 

“Angela, stop worrying. I’m fine,” reassured Brayden.

“I’m just making sure.” 

Brayden was about to argue back, when suddenly, he tripped, launching the burner over the edge.

“Oh no! Are you hurt Brayden?” Angela dropped to her knees, clasping onto Brayden’s hand. She peered over the edge, and watched as the burner rapidly fell into the magma, feeling terrified.

“How’d that happen?” Angela questioned.

“I tripped is what happened.” admitted Brayden. 

“At least you’re not hurt. But, what do we do now?”

“I think we should put the old burner back. Maybe some miracle will happen and it starts to work properly.”

Together, Brayden and Angela picked up the already used burner. Like she did before, Angela gently transferred the rest of the burner’s weight to Brayden. Then, she guided him, pushing him a little bit so he could speed up his pace. Using all of his inner strength, Brayden raised the burner even higher and plopped it into place. Angela sighed in relief. Then, she fetched the wrench, while Brayden pinned the whisper valve in place. Handing it to him, Brayden hurriedly wrenched the hose to the burner, feeling that the hot air balloon would submerge into the magma at any moment. Once completed, he collapsed, as he was exhausted. Angela stared at him for a moment, before bolting to turn on the burner. However, to her shock, it wouldn’t start up. 

Stressed, she tried turning it off and then back on. Nothing. Angela looked around, noticing the hot air balloon continue to deflate, as well as the basket approaching the volcano’s boiling magma. Scared at the thought of death, she placed her hand on her head, feeling it spin. Her body felt weak, and she fell.

“Angela!” Brayden screamed, as he caught her, saving his girlfriend from hitting her head on the edge of the basket. He laid her down and checked her pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt it. I think she just fainted, Brayden thought to himself.

Brayden blew on her face, trying to wake Angela. His anxiety grew when she continued to lay still, not a sign of movement. Suddenly, Angela opened her eyes and immediately sat up straight.

“Brayden! The burner isn’t turning on, we are so close to death, and you are just sitting and watching me like everything’s ok?” accused Angela.

“Angela, you fainted! I needed to make sure you were okay. I couldn’t just leave you like that. Plus, there is no way I can save us by myself.”

“Well now I’m awake, so let’s get to work. I can feel it getting hotter by the second,” said Angela, standing up.

“Are you sure the burner isn’t turning on?” asked Brayden.

“Positive.”

“Well if that's the case, we need to set it on fire. It’s the only way I can think of to start it,” Brayden said.

“And how do you propose to do that?” debated Angela.

“By using the magma. I remember reading somewhere that it can cause a fire, which makes sense because it’s extremely hot. So, I need to put something in the magma, let that set on fire, then use it to light the burner. Oh and then I’ll just throw the thing into the magma,” Brayden said confidently. On the inside, however, he was terrified that his plan would fail. 

“But what do we use?” questioned Angela, peering around the basket. And then, her eyes spotted the red roses Brayden gifted her before they entered the hot air balloon, only they were in horrible condition. “Let’s use the flowers.”

“Angela, they were a gift,” fought Brayden.

“I know and I appreciate it. But we could die at any minute right now and there is nothing else we can use.”

“Fine.”

Brayden walked towards the flowers, feeling the heat even more as he bent down to pick them up. He stared at the wilted flowers, wondering how he and his girlfriend are still alive. As he trotted back over to Angela, Brayden told her how he planned to set the flowers on fire, to which she totally freaked out. 

“You want me to hold your legs when you lean over the basket? Brayden, we are both extremely sweaty!”

“Which is why we need to stop arguing and do this. We don't have time to think of another plan! We have to take action,” responded Brayden. 

“What if I were to lean over? You’re way stronger than me so you’d be less likely to drop me.”

“If you’re up for it then sure. I just want to get out of this heated place. But you have to have your full trust in me, okay?”

“I do,” she spoke. 

“Good.”

Brayden gave Angela the flowers. As Brayden set his hands on her waist, she turned to face the edge of the basket. She took a deep breath in, as she mentally prepared herself. Exhaling, Angela closed her eyes, She slowly bent over the basket with her arms by her side. As Brayden’s grip tightened, Angela’s confidence grew, and so did the heat. Noticing that she was a few feet above the magma, Angela took a moment to recognize its beauty, as she knew this view was a once in a lifetime experience. After a few seconds, she lowered one arm towards the magma and dipped the flowers in it. Instantly, the flowers caught fire. 

“It’s on fire, Brayden! Pull me up!” screamed Angela. 

“Thank the lord,” whispered Brayden, as he hastily pulled Angela up. She rushed to set the burner on fire. 

“C’mon, c’mon,” prayed Angela. 

Brayden watched alongside her, when suddenly, the burner caught on fire! Brayden’s body filled with happiness. He tilted his head upwards to check if the hot air balloon was inflating, and to his relief, it was. He pulled Angela in for a hug, who had thrown the flowers into the magma a second before.

“We did it! We’re alive!” rejoiced Angela, still hugging Brayden.

“Oh yes we are! ”

“Look! We’re rising!” exclaimed Angela. Pulling a bit out of the hug, Brayden peered up, examining his view. He could see the top of the hot air balloon start to reach the opening of the volcano. Looking back down at Angela, he placed his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. They remained in that position for what felt like an eternity. 

-

Whoosh whoosh. Feeling the strong breeze, Brayden and Angela opened their eyes. They saw the deep green trees, the brown dirt, the pink flowers, and much more. They finally escaped the volcano.

“Oh the breeze. It feels so good!” exclaimed Angela.

“It does,” agreed Brayden.

“You know, you managed to change a hot air balloon burner and get us out of a volcano alive. Let’s see if you can do one more thing, Brayden.”

“Is that a challenge I’m hearing m’lady?” Brayden said flirtatiously.

“You got that right. Do you think you can land the hot air balloon in the plains over there?”

“I sure can.” Brayden sat down, letting the semi-harsh wind guide them towards the plains, until he came to a realization. “Wait, weren't we supposed to be there like thirty minutes ago Angela?” 

“Probably. I’m not sure. The rental company might charge us for going overtime but that doesn’t matter right now. Let’s enjoy our last moments before we land,” responded Angela. Silence fell among the two. She turned to face the volcano, which was getting smaller and smaller the farther they were going. Out of the blue, Angela heard a rumbling sound. Scared, she warned Brayden, who stood up to check the burner.

“Are you sure you heard it come from the burner?” asked Brayden.

“I don’t know where it came from,” admitted Angela.

“Well the burner looks fine. I don’t think it made the noise you heard.”

“That’s because it didn’t.”

“But you said you heard something.”

“Look at the volcano.”

Brayden’s eyes moved from the burner to the volcano, and his jaw dropped to the ground.

“It exploded,” he spoke, stunned.

“Wow. It looks so pretty.” 

Braylen and Angela stood in the hot air balloon, holding each other, watching as the volcano continued to erupt. They were mesmerized by the beautiful yellow-orange lava sliding down the rigid edges of the volcano. And then, the wind started to sooth, the volcano calmed, and the nature around became very serene. All in all, a perfect way to end the most disastrous date. 

The End

Disclaimer: This site was used to gather information on how to change the burner of a hot air balloon: http://www.nwplace.com/setup.html