Mistress of the Game

"I tell you what." Keith put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Why don't we forget about hunting for now and start with a hot-air balloon ride? That sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"Sure, Dad. Whatever you say."

Max was anxious.

He wanted to use his gun. A hunting accident, that was the plan. His mother had told him to stick to the plan. Max had never strayed from Eve's instructions before.

But a hot-air balloon ride? It was a gift.

He played out the scene in his imagination.

I couldn't stop him! I told him to get down, but he was trying to get a better picture. He slipped and...oh, Katele, it was awful. I saw him fall, I watched him get smaller and smaller, and then he was gone, I was up there all alone...

Damn. That was a problem.

If Keith had an accident hundreds of feet above the Gariep Dam and plunged to his death, Max would be stuck in the balloon by himself. How would he get down?

I'd better figure out how hot-air balloons work.

Katele spoke to Keith: "That's a bright boy you have there, sir. Incredibly curious."

"Thank you. Africa seems to have brought him out of himself."

The guide shrugged. "Naturally. It's in his blood. You know he spent the whole afternoon with our balloon team, learning the ropes."

"Good." Keith forced a smile. "He can help me when I'm up there panicking and forgetting everything they taught me."

"If you prefer to take our pilot..."

Keith shook his head. "No, no. I have flown before, many times. Just not recently. I'm sure it'll come flooding back to me."

Keith had decided the balloon ride would be a perfect father-son bonding opportunity. He wanted Max to see him doing something he was good at. Other than surgery, Keith Webster had few talents, and he could hardly have his son sit in on a rhinoplasty. He'd learned how to balloon in college, in a rare moment of daredeviltry, and enjoyed it for a year or so, before the novelty wore off.

Perhaps this would help Max to see him in a new, more heroic light? It wasn't easy to look heroic standing next to Katele.

"You'll be in radio contact all the time." Katele smiled reassuringly. "If you run into trouble, just let us know."

"Don't worry," said Keith. "We'll be fine."

They took off at sunset. It was a perfect evening to fly.

"Little bit of low cloud cover to the east, but the winds are in your favor." Kurt, the technician, checked the propane tanks and the pyrometer, which measured the heat at the top of the balloon, one final time. A gnarled Afrikaner in his early sixties with the sort of grisly gray beard usually associated with fairy-tale villains, Kurt Bleeker was in fact a kind, gentle man. "Winds have been averaging five miles an hour, so you shouldn't go farther than a few miles. As it's your first solo flight in a while, try to stick to forty minutes, but don't panic if you go over. You've got fuel for twice that. Any problems" - Kurt tapped his walkie-talkie - "get on the blower, yah?"

Keith Webster smiled. "Will do."

Now that it was actually happening, his nervousness had completely evaporated.

It'll be a blast. Drifting over the Karoo with my son, like sultans of our own private kingdom. If only Eve was here to see how well we're getting along.

Soon they were airborne, sailing serenely over the koppies, small rocky outcrops that rose up from the arid open plain like boils on an old man's skin. Looking out of the left side of the gondola, the balloon's basket, everything seemed barren and dead. But a glance to the right revealed a magical water world, shimmering like a mirage in the early-evening heat. The Orange and Caledon rivers had carved a winding path through the dusty earth, creating myriad little bays, islands and peninsulas. Far below, Keith Webster could see people sailing and windsurfing close to the jagged shoreline. Close by, a herd of wildebeest had gathered to drink, making the most of the cooler, wetter winter weather. But the views below paled next to the beauty of the sky around them. It was as if an LSD-crazed God had grabbed a paintbrush and daubed a psychedelic canvas of orange and pink across the twilight.

"What do you think, Max? Incredible, isn't it?"

"Hmm."

Max was clasping the aluminum frame of the gondola. He barely seemed to notice the stunning scenery below them. His eyes were glued to the instrument panel. Every time the altimeter or variometer needle flickered, he visibly tensed.

Nervous, thought Keith. That's normal for your first balloon flight. He'll relax once he gets used to it.

Max was nervous. This was going to be more complicated than he'd thought. He had to wait until they'd floated far enough that they could no longer be seen from the base camp. But if he waited too long, Keith would be busy with the descent and not interested in taking photographs.

"Look down there, Dad."

Max pointed to a small herd of zebra galloping across the plain. Dust plumed behind them like the exhaust fumes from a racecar.

"I want to take a picture."

Keith turned around and screamed. His son had somehow climbed onto the ropes above them. He was perched precariously on the edge of the wicker basket, gripping the ropes one-handed while he leaned out of the gondola with a camera in his other hand.

"Christ, Max. Get down! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Still holding the camera, Max jumped back down. He gave Keith a disdainful look. "What? I was only taking a photograph."

"You must never climb up like that, buddy. It's incredibly dangerous."

"No, it's not." Max pouted. Under his breath he added, "Katele does it all the time. He's not afraid."

Keith stiffened. Great. Just great. I go to all this trouble to have Max look up to me, and he's still harping about Katele.

"If you really want a picture, buddy, ask me. Once we're cruising, I'll take it for you."

"Really?" Max's eyes lit up. "Okay, Dad, thanks! That would be terrific."

Twenty minutes later, they'd finally drifted far enough for Max to make his move. They were almost seven hundred feet up now, hovering over the Gariep Dam. The vast concrete structure looked comically small beneath them, like a piece from Max's LEGO set.

"That waterfall's awesome. Can we take a picture of that?"

"Sure."

There was no need to climb up onto the edge of the gondola. You could get a great shot of the dam from inside the basket. But Max had thrown down the gauntlet with his Katele comment.

He wants courage? I'll show him courage.

Looping Max's camera around his neck, Keith got a tentative foothold on the aluminum framing.

"Now remember, son, you must never try this yourself. It's dangerous, and it's only for adults. Okay?"

"Sure, Dad."

Another step. Keith reached for the rope above his head, but it was hard to get a grip. His palm was slick and clammy with sweat. Jesus Christ, we're high up. The wind blew through his thin hair and he felt the bile beginning to rise in his throat. He pulled himself up till he was perched on the edge, the way that Max had been, except that Keith had both feet on the gondola and both hands wrapped for dear life around the ropes. Physical terror coursed through his body. He felt dizzy and began to sway. I must be out of my mind.

"That's perfect, Dad! Now get the picture!"

To take the photograph, Keith would have to let go of one of the ropes. He began to uncurl his fingers, and immediately felt his balance slipping. Oh God.

"Come on, Dad! What are you waiting for?"

"I...just give me a second, buddy, okay?"

Max's mind was racing. He estimated that Keith weighed about a hundred and sixty pounds. Roughly a hundred pounds more than he, Max, weighed. If he didn't let go of one of those ropes, would Max have the strength to push him over the edge? What if he tried and failed?

"We're moving faster, Dad. Soon we'll be past it. You're gonna miss your chance."

Keith tried to remember when he'd last felt so frightened. The day that Eve had threatened to leave him, to run off with that actor she'd been seeing. Rory. Back then he'd screwed his courage to the sticking point. He'd done what had to be done.

Just do it! Take the damn picture and you can get down.

Keith let go of the second rope. Suddenly the wind seemed to be blowing violently, pushing them along at a frightening speed. He fumbled for the camera, but his hand was shaking so much he could barely locate the viewfinder.

Silently, Max started climbing up behind him.

Keith leaned forward. He thought the dam was in the frame but he couldn't be sure. Everything was beginning to blur.

"Ground control to Webster balloon. Dr. Webster, do you copy?"