Why did he need to have a bucket list? Agnes was insistent this was something he needed to tick off it, whether he had one or not. Happy 60th, darling!

So here Archie was, standing in a basket, strapped to a vast nylon balloon. Agnes waved and snapped another picture.

The hot air balloon was tethered to the ground by two mooring ropes. Gary, the pilot, jumped over the side, back onto the ground, ‘Just need to untie the ropes,’ he smiled at Archie.

Gary did not inspire Archie with confidence. He had arrived late in a battered old van and pulled the balloon from the back. He apologised, his usual assistants were unavailable. Would Agnes and Archie help him unroll the material?

An ideal day for it, calm and sunny, Gary had said. Archie could feel the building breeze, but didn’t say anything.

Gary undid one tether, then the other. As he jogged back to the basket the inevitable gust of wind took it off the ground.

Gary held on until the ground was ten feet below him, then thought better of it and let go.

Agnes and Gary watched Archie grow smaller as the balloon drifted higher into the sky.

Written as part of Sunday Photo Fiction. Write a story of around 200 words based on the photo prompt given (above). Hosted by Susan Spaulding. For more details visit HERE.

To read more of the stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.

Read all the Agnes and Archie stories here: THE AGNES AND ARCHIE STORIES.