No blog would be complete without some mention of the Balloon Boy, who kept America’s glued to their televisions and computer screens yesterday. In case you were hanging out in a cave with Bin Laden, here is the story. A 6 year old boy was believed to have floated away from his home in a helium balloon which had been tethered in the family’s backyard. The boy’s father is a weather enthusiast and uses the balloon for tracking storms, or something along those lines. At least that’s the father’s explanation for having an alien spaceship in his backyard. At any rate, the boy’s brothers reported to their parents that Falcon was in the basket when the balloon took off. Authorities were called in and everyone tracked the progress of the balloon until it landed 2 ½ hours later and 50 miles away. To everyone’s horror, there was no sign of Falcon. Search teams were formed to scour miles of terrain believing the boy had fallen from the balloon and was lying injured or dead. Turns out, Falcon was hiding in the attic the entire time. Now everyone is questioning whether or not the whole event was a hoax to garner media attention. During interviews Falcon attempted he heard his family calling his name. When his father asked why he didn’t come out, Falcon answered, “You had said that we did this for a show.” Obviously this story isn’t over yet.
As a writer you could take this story to new heights. I think this would make an incredible children’s story, with our little hero Falcon flying off to adventures in far away lands. Of course it would also make for get Sci-Fi. Imagine if this family was from another planet and their little extraterrestrial took the flying saucer out for a joy ride. Would the world learn the truth or would the family be able to keep their secret?
Story Starters – 25 Absolutely Free Story Starters
Fiction Writer 