Fire Balloons is our first short story. It is by Rich Michaels, who lives in Wales. Do you think there is a Celtic flavour to the story? It certainly has some moments where a sense of otherwordlyness impinges on a more tangible world. Or is it simply a story of three children on the border with adulthood who are starting a period of self-discovery?
Fitch
Lovely story! And puzzling… I totally agree with the otherworldliness and I think the way the author plays with the language of light & dark contributes a lot to it. The old cottage certainly adds to the sense of physical and temporal misplacement. I think it is much more than a simple story of kids growing together; it’s the narrative of a rite of passage… like the Beltane fires of the old Celtic tradition.
We think there are some features in this curious story that tell us of a Celtic flavour… e.g. “the vermillion dragon”, a “vague,ghostly presence above”, and the whole mysterious atmosphere created around the setting.
We would like to highlight this paragraph:” They walked silently, close together but without touching, hearing the rushing wind in their ears, releasing salt tears that coursed the continents of their faces, eyes cast down and ahead.” These are very poetic images, in our view.
And what a joyful, friendly “Happy Birthday”! – a true bond for them in their life.