Memu's Voyage

Lady Memu walked around her garden, looking at the beautiful rose bushes that bloomed brightly. It was a lovely sunny day, and she enjoyed the warmth. As she walked, Lady Memu passed by a small shed. She paused as something caught her eye. Two large grey tanks sat, partially hidden behind it. Lady Memu frowned. What were they doing there? Carefully, so as not to get her hands too dirty, she had a closer look. The tanks were helium tanks. Lady Memu sighed. She guess they must have belonged to her daughter, Tiff. Recently, Tiff had taken up a new sport: Floating through the air by inhaling gas. The girl claimed it was harmless, and that floating was very relaxing and peaceful. Lady Memu had her doubts though. What if something went wrong and Tiff fell? Lady Memu looked at the hose connected to the tanks. Tiff had once tried to encourage her to try floating for herself. Just so she could see what it was like. Lady Memu glanced about. No one was around to see her. Quickly she made an on-the-spot decision, and slipped the nozzle into her mouth, and adjusted the taps on the tanks. There was a faint hiss, and her eyes widened as she began to breath in the helium gas. Slowly she felt her lungs start to fill up, and just when she thought she couldn't take in anymore, her body expanded. She grew rounder and rounder as the gas filled her, and Lady Memu felt light-headed. The helium overpowered her body weight, and Lady Memu rose into the air. She hovered at first, just a few feet above the ground. Lady Memu reached out, just managing to grab one of the tanks. She quickly turned off the tanks and let the hose drop from her mouth. She covered her lips with her hands, frightened to let the helium out in case it caused her to fall suddenly. With nothing to hold onto, she rose higher into the air until she could see over some nearby trees. A mix of feelings washed over her. The initial fear that she was in danger of falling. Wonder at how different things looked from so high. And a strange sense of peace as she gently bobbed along. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the peace.

It felt like she had been floating for hours, but Lady Memu knew that couldn't be the case. Carefully she took one hand away from her mouth, and checked her watched. It had only been five minutes since she lifted off. She glanced down at the ground as she drifted lazily over the landscape below her. She had to admit, her daughter was right. This did have a certain fun value to it. A slow burning started to fill her lungs, and Lady Memu knew she needed to breath. This could be a problem. If she simply let her air out and took a fresh breath, she would lose all the helium inside her, and she would plummet. Trying to remain calm, she moved her other hand away from her mouth, and parted her lips slightly. She focused. Slowly lady Memu breathed out, letting small amounts of helium out in a controlled way. Gently she began to descend. She resisted the urge to smile or cheer until she felt her feet touch down. Finally she could release the rest of the air inside her, and take a fresh breath. Lady Memu took a few moments to breath deeply before loking about. She had drifted far from her home, and it would be a long walk back. She didn't mind though. She had surprised herself with how much fun she had had. All-in-all, it had been a very uplifting experiance...