Elliot regretted suggesting that he and Amelia take a walk through the Emporium gardens. They were full of lovestruck couples, skipping hand in hand, or laying out together on the soft grass.
"Look over there," Amelia cried, sprinting in the direction of a lonely tree in the middle of an open expanse of meadow. She looked up through the branches. "Race you to the top?" she giggled, leaping for the lowest branch and hoisting herself up effortlessly.
"I'm not much of a climber," admitted Elliot, watching her with awe. "I suffer from vertigo."
That was a stupid thing to say, he thought. Why could he not be more charming like Charlie? He watched Amelia disappear up through the branches and sat down against the trunk.
"It is a great view from up here," she called out.
"Take a photo on your phone," answered Elliot, trying to engage her. "And come back down please before you hurt yourself."
"On my way," shouted Amelia.
Elliot saw her twist and spin down impossibly through the branches before landing perfectly on both feet next to him.
"That was quite...good," he stuttered, failing miserably to find the words to adequately describe her mesmerising gymnastics. "What was the view like?"
"Funny thing," Amelia replied. "My phone is not working. Even though it has plenty of battery."
Elliot pulled his old-model phone from his back pocket and flipped open the clamshell lid. Nothing. "Mine's not working either. Maybe it's this place?" he pondered.
Amelia was already striding out in the direction of a line of poplar trees. "I saw something from the treetop," she called back to him. "You have got to come and look at this!" she said eagerly.
Elliot jogged to catch up to her and found her staring excitedly towards the middle of a clearing. At a hot air balloon.
"I have never been in one of these," she squealed with anticipation. "Have you?"
Of course not. He already told her he suffered from vertigo. And he had a fear of confined spaces. And a wicker allergy. He could feel a knot tightening in his belly and the skin at the back of his neck started to itch.
As they approached the basket, which was bobbing gently on the spot beneath the balloon's envelope, they saw a garish sign fastened to a fencepost:
BALLOON RIDES
VIEW THE EMPORIUM FROM ABOVE!
A smaller note had been strung on a nail to the outside of the basket. It read:
Gone for afternoon tea
Back in 30 or 60 minutes, depending on the number of sandwiches
Elliot looked on in horror as Amelia removed the note, tossed it over her shoulder and clambered over the side of the basket! The balloon was a radiant, spherical orb, the colour of a ripe pumpkin. The canopy had thick orange ropes attached to each corner of the loaf-shaped basket. There were a further four ropes looped around four long wooden stakes that were driven into the overgrown ground. Neither of them noticed that there was no burner unit or fuel tanks suspended above the basket.
"What are you doing?" he said, fear stricken. "Get out of there. Someone will see!"
"Untie the ropes," she suggested provocatively.
"No!" he protested. "I don't know how to drive one of these," Elliot pointed out. "And I'm sure you don't either!"
"I have three horses and it cannot be more difficult than riding one of those," said Amelia. "Maybe you just shout 'giddy-up'!" she joked.
Above her head, in the centre of the bulbous skin of the balloon, an eye blinked open!
"Untie the ropes," she encouraged. "Come on, it will be fun!"
It did not sound like fun to Elliot. But there was no way he was letting Amelia know he was terrified of heights. And of being alone with her!
He fumbled with the ropes to try and undo them. They were too thick for his small hands. They were slippery and it was difficult to get any grip. The palms of his hands were sticky from handling the knots. As he tried again, the nearest rope moved. He was sure of it!
"Did you see that?" he cried out to Amelia, who was waiting impatiently in the basket.
"Oh good," she replied distractedly. "You managed to get one of the ropes undone."
Elliot spun round to see that the rope immediately behind him was now free from the stake and was undulating in mid-air. He had not done that...? The rope by his feet uncoiled itself before his eyes and slithered in the grass, retracting towards the basket. The two remaining ropes followed suit and the basket lifted gently off the ground. He saw the great eye for the first time, staring back at him and blinking lazily.
"Erm...Amelia?" he managed to squeak as the anxiety rose within him.
"Aw, brilliant, Elliot," yelled Amelia. "Well done! Now quick, hop in."
The task at hand seemed to Elliot to be far more complicated and dangerous than simply 'hopping in'! The four 'ropes' were now writhing uncontrollably, and it occurred to him that they looked remarkably like tentacles.
"Come on Elliot," she hollered. The basket was already six feet off the ground. "Giddy-up!"
The balloon lurched upwards at Amelia's instruction. Thousands of tiny iridescent bubbles exuded from the bottom of the balloon's envelope in staccato bursts and popped on Amelia's head and the edges of the basket.
"Amelia!" screamed Elliot and, in blind panic, leapt for the last retracting tentacle, wrapping his arms and legs around the thick gooey mass, squeezing tightly and praying he would not slide off. His feet left the ground and he shot upwards like a rocket.
"Elliot!" cried Amelia, realising that the balloon had ascended quickly and was already level with the tops of the trees. "Do not let go!"
"Great advice!" shouted back Elliot sarcastically. "Help me, please!" He dared not look down. He could feel his grip loosening as he tired. The wind was buffeting him and he wondered how many bones he might break when he hit the ground.
At that moment the tentacle curled round his waist and lifted him up towards the basket. However, he was not deposited alongside his friend but carried higher until he was held opposite the gigantic eye. It peered at him thoughtfully, the tentacle deliberately turning him over to view him from all angles. The eye blinked twice and then, seemingly satisfied, the tentacle lowered him softly into the middle of the basket, before uncoiling from round his belly and patting him twice on the side of the face.
Elliot slumped into the corner of the basket and leaned against the rough wicker. He was breathing hard and felt sick. His vision was blurred. He realised it was just tentacle slime smeared across his lenses and wiped them clean with his tie. He adjusted them on the bridge of his nose and saw Amelia stroking one of the four tentacles that were cradling the basket.
"I think it might be some kind of octopus!" proposed Amelia excitedly. "He is amazing! Come pet him!"
"I don't think that's a good idea," Elliot said reluctantly. He hoisted himself upright, grabbed the lip of the basket to steady his dizziness and cautiously reached out his hand towards the pulsing orange tentacle. He placed his trembling fingers on the least offensive looking bit. It was surprisingly warm and reacted to his touch, recoiling and then springing back into shape. Its suckers pulsed in waves along the length of the tentacle.
"He likes you," she said, tickling the tentacle and watching it wobble in response.
"He?" said Elliot with amusement. "How do you know it's a 'he'?"
They peered up through the bubbles at the inflated creature floating serenely above them.
"Good point," said Amelia, giggling.
They stared out across the Emporium spread below them. It looked like a model village. Colossal insects buzzed past the balloon. Stunning multi-coloured butterflies with delicate wings that sparkled in the light and turquoise dragonflies...
"Actually, they're damselflies," corrected Elliot, before immediately cursing himself under his breath for making himself look like a nerd.
But she seemed genuinely interested.
Elliot continued. "The way to tell the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly is when they land. Damselflies tuck their wings into their sides. Dragonflies leave them stretched open." He showed Amelia by holding his arms out to the sides like he was impersonating an aeroplane. He realised he looked foolish and blushed. Again.
"That is cool," said Amelia, copying his actions and leaning over to get a better view.
"I know more about damselflies than flying octopuses," smiled Elliot as Amelia windmilled her arms and laughed with delight. He paused to savour the moment before the practical part of his brain kicked back into gear. "How do we get back to the ground?" he wondered. Not that he wanted to get back to the ground. He could quite happily stay up here forever.