Early yesterday morning young Liquorice and I were at the end of the breezeway. We had just started enjoying the crisp early morning air and sunshine and I was thinking it so different to the heatwave recent weeks had brought us followed then by six inches of rain. There, before me, as I looked out at the eastern sky, was a hot air balloon only a couple of hundred yards away, drifting low and peacefully across our neighbor’s paddock. It did not appear all that much above eye level as we live on a ridge and possibly going to land at Bringelly a mile or so away.
Little Liquorice had not yet seen it. All she wanted to know was were we going to play or go for a walk before or after she had her breakfast and did she have time for a “leak” first. I tried to point at the balloon silently hanging there but she would only look at the end of my hand wondering what game we were going to play. I crouched down with her and gently held her head facing the balloon, which was then starting to drift slowly behind the upper branches of a large gum tree just down from the house. Liquorice’s body stiffened when she saw it.
It must have been an amazing sight for her. This huge hot air Balloon, orange on top and bright yellow beneath complete with a large bumblebee emblazoned on its side with the words “Diabetes-Bee Aware”. The occupants of the gondola could be seen enjoying their ride. Liquorice did not like or trust this strange, new creature, especially as it was now trying to conceal itself behind a tree! Until now her only barks had been more like a Terrier’s piercing high-pitched yaps. But she now started to make low rumbling noises, “Wwrr Wwrrr Wwrr”s. Her impression of this yellow monster, that had come to terrorize her, her home and her humans, was not helped when the pilot fired up the gas burner to gain altitude. It went off with a ROAR. Then another and another. Our brave little darling upgraded her response to deep, growling “WWRRUFFF”s while moving side to side to better see the enemy now in hiding behind the sparse leaves of that gum tree. As the balloon “emerged” from hiding Liquorice’s growling WWRRUFFFs grew longer, deeper and more powerful. They seemed to start around 18 inches behind her, slowly building, then hurled at her adversary. I wondered if the people on board could hear our young Newf between the “roars” of the gas-burner. Probably not, but they would have carried well in the crisp, moist air.
Liquorice kept giving me quick sideways glances. I knew not whether she was saying, “Don’t be afraid. I will protect you” or “If it comes closer, you’re on your own!” I would prefer to think the former.
The balloon kept floating past but not quick enough for our brave little darling whose pride was becoming as puffed as that balloon. It had stopped its “Roars” by now having gained a little height and ever so slowly continued floating along its now silent path. Liquorice could clearly discern it moving away solely as a result of her growling WWRRUFFFs, and advanced a few steps still giving her warnings though not as forceful, lest her challenge be answered!
The balloon became smaller as it receded into the distance and Liquorice’s pride grew in inverse ratio. I doubt that enormous balloon could have held our little darling’s growing pride in her achievement!
Liquorice pranced around in circles looking at me, then the retreating balloon, then back to me. She knew we all would have been eaten had she not saved us from that roaring, yellow monster!
Arthur Witten
Liquorice