Fiction: The Queen's Hot Air Balloon

This September's Words for Wednesday prompts are provided by David M. Gascoigne and is hosted at Elephant's Child over here. This week's prompts are laboratory, devoted, ridiculous, happy, tenderly, sick and/or encouragement, diseases, formidable, unruly, vaccine, cricket. I used all the words but vaccine, just couldn't fit it.

Fiction: The Queen's Hot Air Balloon

Cricket, as she was known by her dearest families and friends, led a life devoted to her people, her family, her pets and her many varieties of interest. It was a life of ordinary but happy days.
    As the queen of Glanden, Cricket did not accept ridiculous or unruly behaviors. For her fur children, she gave some allowances but as for her family and everyone else, she demanded a serious demeanor.
    One day, the queen's family heard through their servants who heard it from other servants of grand people, the queen had purchased a hot air balloon. This, of course, roused Cricket's children and various relations. They gathered together and held a meeting in one of their houses. During the talk, they had hot pot and beer though they weren't dared if the queen had been present.
    By the end of the evening, the family had all voted in the negative. The queen must not be allowed to own a hot air balloon. She would be ridicule and perhaps even had her title taken away. Unsurprisingly, they were quite shocked by the price of the balloon. It was almost enough to buy a house. They could not bare having their inheritance spent in that way or so they all said but if they were being honest, they liked the idea and would have loved a ride in the balloon if allowed. They ended the meeting having selected the queen's favorite granddaughter, Queenie, to go and talk her out of it and perhaps return it and get the money back.
    Meanwhile, in her tea room, Cricket was pondering over the purchase. It had been an impulse, a sudden attack of want instead of need was what her grandmother would have put it. But it wasn't quite impulsive. They took a week to build to it and in that time, Cricket could have changed her mind several times.
    She took a sip of her mid-morning tea and sighed. Bright sunlight from the skylight filled the spacious room. There was a table, a few chairs, a large bookshelf with her favorite books, some portraits of her ancestors and a large comfortable couch. It was all hers. No one was allowed in the room without her permission aside from Gideon, her butler/man of all duties and her bodyguard, Stillman, a quiet woman in her late twenties. 
    Cricket put down the cup and looked up. From the skylight, she could see bits of gold. Yesterday morning, Master Jack, the owner of the balloon making shop, had personally shipped the hot air balloon to her roof and now it was guarded by two servants. The envelope was of a bright, golden color with random red birds - gold and red were two of her favorite colors. The basket was of similar gold and large enough for ten to twelve people. Cricket was not certain why she chose such a large balloon except that she wanted it be grand. No respectable queen would have a tiny balloon.
    Looking out the windows at her garden she tenderly caressed the British Shorthair on her lap. For a moment, she was distracted by Ginger's soft purrs but there was no forgetting the hot air balloon on her roof. She could pretend she was sick or caught some rare disease that caused her to purchase the balloon. No, she could not make such false claims. It was exactly the kind of behavior she was against. Then what good reason had she to purchase something so expensive, so unnecessary and so damm impractical? Sometimes she thought of herself as a rat in a laboratory being studied for whether she will misbehave or not. But of course if a rat was restrained one too many times, she would, of course, want to rebel.
    But the image she projected was a formidable, headstrong, respectable and calm individual. Not this indecisive person. She shook her head. It was impossible to pretend she had not done a foolish thing. If she was just another person without a title, if she was not a queen, she wouldn't regret it though her regret, if such thing was to be measured, it would be at 0.01%. So yes, it was a slightly mad thing that she had done.
    Standing quietly in a corner, Gideon stood with his eyes downward. He had always knew when to wait and when to leave.
    "Gideon, get my coat. And my goggles!" Cricket said and smiled.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some two hours later, the family arrived. But they were too late. Cricket was up in the air with Gideon, Stillman, and Master Jack, the man who flew the balloon. Looking at the blue sky and sunshine all around her, Cricket smiled as a cool breeze blew past her. She wore her white hat with ribbons tied under her chin to keep her hair from flying all over the place. And a pair of goggles that had shades if it was too sunny. Master Jack advised them all to use it. She held onto the edge of the basket with an almost death grip. She had no fear of heights but at almost 100, she feared, her strength was not what it used to be.
    Master Jack had said this was the perfect weather for a balloon ride - not too windy with just the right amount of warmth and no oncoming storms. He had assured her he had checked everything twice and was certain the weather was going to stay nice and pleasant all day long.
    "Yahooooo!" shouted Gideon and he laughed with his eyes squeezed into thin slits and then realizing the queen was there, he put his placid face back on. "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
    Gideon had worked for Cricket for over thirty years. She had always admired him for his self control. This was the only second time she saw this side of him. She smiled and said, "It is quite alright, Gideon. Being here certainly would make one shout for joy." Gideon nodded and gave her a small grin. Stillman, a small woman only a few inches taller than Cricket, had a slight grin on the corner of her mouth though she stood straight as an arrow and barely moved.
    Cricket looked out again at the world. Everything was perfectly peaceful. Even if she didn't rule this land, she would love it. But it's the people that mattered. Thinking of them, she suddenly thought of a plan. She will sent the balloon to all the schools and let the children ride them. And afterward, she would set up a place for the adults to come and take rides, all at her expense. And if possible, set up a school or some special after school classes for those who wish to invent contraptions such as these. Yes, that is what she shall do after this.
    A bird, all white with thick feathers was suddenly flying beside her. Its beady black eyes were looking directly at her. Cricket smiled and waved. The bird flew past her. But suddenly there were birds all around them. There were probably ten to twenty birds or even more. She moved about trying to dodge them as were Stillman, Gideon and Master Jack. Cricket shouted "Do not harm the birds. I think they must be as confused as we are!" Stillman urged Cricket to crouch low in the basket as she fended off the birds. Cricket crouched down with her hands over her hat. White feathers and shouts of "Damm it!" flowed freely.
    They began to descend and slowly, they left the birds behind. Then they were sailing peacefully once more. "It's alright now, Your Majesty," said Master Jack though his face was covered with perspiration. His bow tie was askew. Gideon was looking placid but slightly red in the cheeks while Stillman appeared unperturbed other than her slightly disarranged hair. As for Cricket, she had some minor scratches on her hands but nothing to worry over.
    Not so far away and slightly above them, the birds seemed to be having some type of meeting, perhaps fighting about who was at fault. A giggle escaped Cricket's lips and then she was laughing. She had just escaped being mauled by birds and she should be frightened and yet, she wasn't. The other three looked amused with half smiles.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Master Jack set the balloon down in the park, night had set in. The family was there. Half of them had been following the balloon in their vehicles while the other half waited at the mansion. Cricket told nothing of the bird mishap. It was better they didn't know. Master Jack signed a contract before the ride to say nothing at all about anything relating to the queen. Gideon and Stillman were sure not to mention anything.
    After the family and the queen all sat down in the dinning hall for dinner, Cricket spoke of her plans for her hot air balloon. The family was satisfied at this. They saw no reason to object though one or two wished they could.
    There was genial silence until dessert was served. "Grandmama, may I ride the balloon before you send it away?" asked Queenie.
    A few of the families gasped but Queenie kept her eager eyes on her grandmother. She was only nine.
    Cricket smiled at her granddaughter. "Certainly, my dear. All of you may as well take a ride before I send it away for good."
    "Thank you, Grandmama. May I take a ride next week? It is a holiday. We get a week off." Queenie smiled showing a crooked tooth in front.
    "Of course, my dear. I'll have Gideon set it up for you." Cricket rang the bell and Gideon entered. She gave him the instructions. Queenie, with sparkling eyes, started on her chocolate soufflé.
    About an hour later, Cricket took tea in her tea room. She sat down by the open window. It was a cool night. Perhaps she should take a night ride. But she recalled how her family had looked when she got out of the basket which had landed sideways. It wasn't the first time she went against their wishes. But as much as she desired to do what she wanted, it was best not to worry her family again.
    Outside, the balloon was being deflated and stored until next week. Cricket knew now the purchase was impulsive but she did not regret it but for that tiny percentage. For the rest of her life, she would never forget being high up in the world and knowing how insignificant she could be. Oh, she was a rat alright but one thing she was quite certain: they will not find a cure for rebellion but they do try.