Balloon over White Mountain
Up in the mountains of the Andes of Peru, is a little village called San Jeronimo, and not far from there is White Mountain (to the inhabitants of the area it is called: Huaytapallana). Here lived a family, and a little ten year old boy called Daniel. What he wanted most for Christmas was to fly over White Mountain. Well, this was kind of difficult, but as the family got together and talked about it, they felt it could be achieved: Uncle Dennis from America was visiting during this time, he was involved with finding the ropes needed for the balloon, and so was Aunt Rosita, Dennis wife, involved, she had to watch Dennis to make sure he didnt get entangled with the ropes (or felt she had to); and Aunt Nancy, her job was to find a camera, and get the film ready for the expedition, and the mother and father, Mini and Enrique, got the other necessary equipment, which I will explain now:
they put together in a weeks time a balloon, fa stened onto an old wooden bathtub, one they had kept in the back of their old restaurant: a large one you might say, somewhat modified. They tied ropes from the sides of the balloon (the balloon they got from the Mayor of the city); as I was saying, they tied the ropes onto the balloon and onto the sides of the wooden tub, and put a few sandbags on the sides to keep it from flying away. Then they built a fire on a platform which was tied under the opening of the balloon, this would fill the balloon up with hot air as needed.
On Christmas day, they took little Daniel to the Mayors Office, whose name happened to be Jesus, where they kept the balloon in the back of the building, and there is where they surprised him, uncovering itat its full size was larger than the Mayors building.
Daniel was overwhelmedto say the least, and thus, their adventure was about to start; they all jumped into the old wooden bathtub, and Papa Enrique, took the helm. In a moments time, the Mayor was waving the little group goodbye, as it ascended over the little Village of San Jeronimo, some 10,500 feet up in the Andes. They went up to 16,000-feet; right over White Mountain (I should explain: although it is called White Mountain, there are several mountains cuddled together and White Mountain is kind of in the middle over towering the rest of the mountains).
It was a dream come true for little Daniel, he could even see the little mountain village of Acopalcaleading up the mountains, where they were having a winter fish fry. There the warm and gentle people waved at him, as they played ball, and ate their trout. The balloon was all purple, and everyone could see it from far and near.
Right after they had passed that mountain village, the winds started to pick up, and shift the adventurous crew back and forth, up and down, like a yoyo, and Uncle Dennis was hanging onto the ropes to insure they did not break, and put out the fire. Aunt Nancy w as taking pictures of the whole adventure, and Aunt Rosita was making sure Uncle Dennis was not over exerting himself, he was not in the best of health; and Captain Papa Enrique was guiding the balloon in circles, around the mountain top, while little Daniel looked about the whole mountain area, almost wanting to jump out onto the glaciers on each side of the mountain (but he didnt).
Alias! Things do not always go the way they are planned, do they. They were planning to land on the summitweather permitting, on the very top of the mountain peak, but the wind was too strongshould they try this, surely the balloon and them in it would end up falling into the little lake that was cuddled in-between the mountains below them: there were three lakes below them, but the one nearest them was similar to a large pond.
Then all of a sudden, came a giant condor, a large, large, very large bird with icy-eyes, and a wing span (perhaps) as large as eighty feet: from tip to tip (so I remember, and looking at the pictures). Yes indeed, he was larger than the giant tub: he was huge like a whale in the air.
Nancy couldnt help it, she just kept taking pictures of the large bird, she was fascinated with it; and its wings started to create a windstorm around the balloon, that made Uncle Dennis pull the ropes harder so the balloon would not sail out of control, so the Captain could steer it properly; the Captain, being of course, Papa Enrique, who now turned the balloon towards the lake, should the bird bust the balloon at least theyd fall into something softer than granite.
The Condor came closer and closer to little Daniel, and then when his head was almost onto of the tub, looking into the group of folks in the area, Daniel did an odd thing: he plucked a feather from the birds neck, Uncle Dennis saw this and said to himself, Woops, this reads disaster for all of us all (for it really got the bird mad), and then he noticed the bird started to attack the balloon, narrowly escaping the fire under it. Then Uncle Dennis had an idea, and he let the rope fly upout of his hands, then the fire rushed out onto the birds wings, setting them on fire, and like a rocket the condor whizzed down to the lake to put the fire outSplash! It went, and upon its way up from under the water, it could not fly anymoreand he was not a happy bird.
Regrettable as it was, it was a happy ending thought Papa Enrique and the rest of the crew, as they sailed the balloon back to San Jeronimo, where the Mayor, his friend was waiting for them all: and upon their arrival, the whole Village came out to applaud them for their bravery over White Mountain.
Note to the unbelieving: if you dont believe this Story is true, just write the Mayor, hell tell you the truth or perhaps, Little Daniel might.
Spanish Version By Rosa Penaloza
Un Cuento Navideo Peruano:
Globo sobre la Montaa Blanca
Encima de las montaas de los Andes de Per, hay un pequeo pueblo llamado San Jeronimo, y no muy lejos de ste hay una Montaa Blanca (los habitantes del rea lo llaman: Huaytapallana). Aqu vivi una familia, y un pequeo muchacho de diez aos llamado Daniel. Lo que l ms quera por Navidad era volar sobre la Montaa Blanca.
Bien, esto era algo difcil, pero como su familia se reuni y habl sobre esto, ellos sintieron que esto podra lograrse: El to Dennis de Amrica estaba de visita durante este tiempo, l estara involucrado en buscar las sogas necesarias para el globo, y tambin la ta Rosita, esposa de Dennis, estara involucrada, ella tendra que cuidar a Dennis para asegurarse que l no se enredara con las sogas (o eso es lo que ella tema); y la Ta Nancy, quien su trabajo sera encontrar una cmara, y conseguir la pelcula lista para la expedicin, y la mam y el pap, Mini y Enrique, conse guiran el otro equipo necesario, que explicar ahora: ellos reunieron en una semana un globo, sujetado a una vieja baera de madera, una que ellos haban guardado detrs de su viejo restaurante: una grande podras decir, algo modificada.
Ellos ataron sogas a los lados del globo (el globo ellos lo consiguieron del Alcalde de la ciudad), como iba diciendo, ellos ataron las sogas en el globo y en los costados de la tina de madera, y pusieron unos cuantos sacos de arena sobre los lados para impedir que ste volara. Entonces ellos prendieron fuego sobre una plataforma que fue atada bajo la abertura del globo, esto llenara el globo con aire caliente cuando fuera necesario.
El Da de Navidad, ellos llevaron al pequeo Daniel a la Oficina del Alcalde, cuyo nombre result ser Jess, donde detrs del edificio ellos guardaban el globo, y all es donde ellos lo sorprendieron, destapndoloel globo en tamao completo era ms grande que el edificio del Alcalde. Daniel fue abrumadopor no dec ir de menos, y as, su aventura estuvo a punto de comenzar; todos ellos brincaron en la vieja baera de madera, y Pap Enrique, tom el timn. En unos pocos momentos, el Alcalde agitaba al pequeo grupo adis! mientras que ste ascenda sobre el pequeo pueblo de San Jeronimo, aproximadamente 10,500 pies encima de los Andes. Ellos subieron cerca de 16,000 pies de altura, directamente sobre la Montaa Blanca (debera explicar: aunque lo llamen la Montaa Blanca, hay varias montaas abrazadas juntas y la Montaa Blanca es como que est en el medio sobresaliendo al resto de las otras).
Este era un sueo que se haca realidad para el pequeo Daniel, l incluso poda ver el pueblito llamado Acopalcael que conduce a las montaas, donde ellos estaban teniendo pescado frito de invierno. All la gente amable y apacible lo salud a l, mientras ellos jugaban a la pelota, y coman su trucha. El globo era todo prpura, y cada uno podra verlo por todas partes.
Entonces justo cuando habamos termina do de pasar el pueblito, los vientos fuertes comenzaron a arremeter a la tripulacin aventurera hacia adelante y hacia atrs, arriba y abajo, como un yoyo, y el to Dennis sujetaba las sogas para asegurarse que ellas no se rompieran, y apagaran el fuego. La ta Nancy estaba tomando fotos de toda la aventura entera, y la ta Rosita se aseguraba que el to Dennis no hiciera mucho esfuerzo l slo, l no estaba en lo mejor de su salud; y el Pap Capitn Enrique manejaba el globo en crculos, alrededor de la cima de la montaa, mientras que el pequeo Daniel miraba alrededor de la montaa entera toda el rea, como queriendo saltar en los glaciares sobre cada lado de la montaa (pero no lo hizo). Alas! Las cosas no siempre salen de la forma en que ellos fueron planificados no?
Ellos haban planificado aterrizar sobre la cumbresi el tiempo lo permita, sobre el mismo pico de la cima de la montaa, pero el viento era demasiado fuertesi ellos intentaban esto, seguramente el globo y ellos termin aran cayndose en el pequeo lago que se encontraba en el medio de las montaas debajo de ellos: haban tres lagos debajo de ellos, pero uno el ms cercano era similar a una charca grande.
Entonces de repente, vino un cndor gigantesco, un pjaro grande, grande, muy grande con ojos helados, y con alas tan grandes (quizs) como de ochenta pies de longitud: de punta a punta (s, me recuerdo mirando las fotos). S de verdad, l era ms grande que la tina gigantesca: l era enorme como una ballena en el aire.
Nancy no poda evitarlo, solamente segua tomando fotos del pjaro grande, ella estaba fascinada con ste, y sus alas comenzaron a crear una tempestad alrededor del globo, que hizo que el to Dennis tirara de las sogas ms fuerte para que el globo no volara fuera de control, as el Capitn podra dirigirlo correctamente; el Capitn que desde luego era Pap Enrique, que ahora gir el globo hacia el lago, en caso de que el pjaro rompiese el globo al menos ellos caeran en algo ms suave qu e en granito.
El Cndor se acerc ms y ms cerca al pequeo Daniel, y luego cuando su cabeza estaba casi encima de la tina, examinando al grupo de gente en el rea, Daniel hizo una cosa rara: l arranc una pluma del cuello del pjaro, el to Dennis vio esto y se dijo a s mismo, Woops, esto significa desastre para todos nosotros (porque esto consigui realmente que el pjaro se enfadara), y luego l not que el pjaro comenz a atacar al globo, casi evitando el fuego debajo de ste. Entonces el to Dennis tuvo una idea, l dej que la cuerda volara encimafuera de sus manos, entonces el fuego alcanz rpidamente las alas del pjaro, prendindolos en fuego, y como un cohete el cndor se zambull en el lago para apagar el fuego !chapoteo! ste fue, y cuando emergi en el agua, ste no poda volar msy l no era un pjaro feliz.
Lamentable como fue, ste tuvo un final feliz pens Pap Enrique y el resto de la tripulacin, mientras que ellos dirigieron el globo de vuelta al pueblo de San Jeronimo, don de el Alcalde, su amigo, los estaba esperando: y sobre su llegada, el pueblo entero sali para aplaudirles por su valor sobre la Montaa Blanca.
Nota al in-creer: si no crees que esta historia es verdadera, slo escribe al Alcalde, l te dir la verdad, o quizs, el pequeo Daniel podra.
See Dennis' web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com
Author:: Dennis Siluk
Keywords:: Story
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