This is the story about a boy who sought out to explore the world from above.
Charlie is the adventurous type. He’s only 16 years old and has already embarked on some of the greatest journeys anyone his age has seen. He’s traveled the length of the desert and navigated his way through the African rain forests. He’s trudged through the deep seas and back again, but now he’s seeking his next adventure. Discovering the world is Charlie’s only mission.
Day in and day out you’ll find him gazing up at the clouds above and wondering what else is out there, always pondering what lies beyond the boundaries of Africa. As curiosity fuels his fire, Charlie decides his next adventure will be soaring at altitudes unknown, as this is the only way to find answers.
----------------------------------------There’s one problem with this idea --------------------------------------------
Charlie is much too big to fly. Even for a teenager, he’s overweight, weighing in at ~3000 pounds. Kids, Charlie is a thrill-seeking elephant…
No matter, Charlie is determined and believes there’s got to be a way of getting him off the ground. He puts his thinking cap on, metaphorically of course. He begins to conjure ideas. First, “Propellers!” He starts to picture it, “yikes, too dangerous”. More time passes, “wings?” “Eh, probably not strong enough.”
He conjures up numerous trial and error scenarios but finds the error of fatality in every one. Frustrated, Charlie’s trunk tugs at the grass in front of him.
He knows there is unexplored territory, but how to get to it is the toughest question he’s ever had to answer. Just when Charlie was ready to give up he noticed a small red dot floating higher and higher into the clouds, and that’s when it hit him!
“Of course, balloons!” With the right amount maybe even an elephant could fly. After some long, hard calculating and a massive headache, Charlie concluded it would take ~96,000 balloons to carry him off. That’s 32 balloons per pound!
Since he’d made loads friends on his journeys he believed gathering the balloons would be a piece of cake. In fact, he knew a tribe of monkeys that would be up for the challenge. He trusted they’d be able to barrow the balloons from a nearby village without being seen.
Sure enough, the next day his friends came to him with the balloons he requested. Monkey by monkey they begin tying the balloons around his massive torso. Charlie could feel himself getting lighter. Suddenly, his feet weren’t touching the ground anymore. His monkey friends jumped up and down with loud cheer and chatter. As he floated higher and higher above the treetops, he could see Great Plains all through the distance.
Charlie sounded his trunk, thanking all those below.
…Kids, that day Charlie felt on top of the world, conquering what no elephant had dared to conquer before.
…Kids, that day Charlie felt on top of the world, conquering what no elephant had dared to conquer before.
