Emmanuella, a young dark skinned woman in her 29th year, sits on a desk cross legged as she holds a marble sphere big enough to fill the palm of her hand. The sphere is open at the top with a path swirling around its inner workings.
Emmanuella uses tweezers to carefully place three small yellow balls on the inner path. Each ball melts while rolling down the path like butter disappearing into the unseen part of the sphere. She places a matching lid on the top of the sphere twisting it closed. She lifts a similar marble violet orb examining them closely. She tosses the orbs into the air, and on their own, the pair swirl around as if moving around a large invisible sphere.
Emmanuella tosses a teddy bear into the invisible sphere; the bear hovers in between the spinning orbs as the violet orb spins over its head and around its upper body while the yellow spins under its feet and around its lower body. Both orbs create a yellow and purple light and glittering dust within the sphere. The bear’s fur glows, its eyes change from buttons to marbles, a yellow polka dot bow appears on its head as a matching dress wraps around its body, and four black dots grow on her paws.
When the light falters, the violet orb hovers over the bear’s head while the yellow hovers below her feet. The bear is gently lowered to the floor, and the orbs land beside her. Emmanuella collects the orbs placing them in a velvet bag tied to her hip.
The bear’s fur looks fuller, clean, and fluffy. The bear seems to have a sparkle in her eye with a tiny smile. The bear now has evenly distributed cotton and is cuddlier than before. Emmanuella places the bear in a corner then jumps down from her little nook landing on a large iron ship with an enormous oval hot air balloon and propellers. Large glass windows and wider than five humans standing side by side. Kwame did an amazing job building this masterpiece.
He took Emanuella’s invention of a flying ship and made it beautiful. Now she can travel through the air away from marriages and deaths.
“Kwame! Ready!” Emmanuella yells when she sits in the seat with a steering wheel. She flips a switch up starting the engine which shakes the ship and wakes the fire underneath the balloon’s small opening. A dark-skinned man with a buzz haircut and an off white shirt with three of the top buttons undone. Emmanuella fixes her trousers and the fedora she borrowed from Kwame.
“Open the dome! Let the world see her.” Emmanuella says as she smiles at the hope beyond the dome.
Kwame pulls the string opening the dome. He’s never been a man of many words and difficult to read. Emmanuella would enjoy the moment more if he would celebrate with her. Did he like her invention? Did he enjoy contributing? Kwame lifts his eyebrow.
“Be careful,” his soft deep voice bounces off the walls reaching Emmanuella. She presses her foot on the pedal and the ship lifts from the ground rising out of the dome structure.
Emmanuella steers the ship over the city passing tall buildings filled with apartments and businesses, homes with yards and children playing, bakeries, shops, the riverside filled with vendors selling from their tables with marching bands entertaining customers, and streets.
Yes, the country of Espela is beautiful. The city is filled with bright colors resembling the different phases of fire. Emmanuella places the ship on autopilot then rushes to the ledge waving to those below.
Men take off their hats and women stare in awe. Children point and chase after the ship. The drum majors salute the ship as it passes overhead. Eyes behind windows, from the ground, from roofs, working, and more leer at the ship.
Soon, the ship moves to the center of the city where a large yellow building with a violet dome roof sits in the center. Gardens are woven outside of the main building with walls, arches, and smaller sectors of the home infiltrate the home of the flowers and shrubs. A tall statue of the current king and queen side by side staring at the gods above.
Women and their daughters are dressed extravagantly while in a line leading from the main street to the main doors of the palace. Oops. Emmanuella must’ve gotten so carried away with her ship she forgot about the ball. She should be in line with her mother. She passes the yellow and purple flag of Espela.
The ship circles around the main roof of the palace waving to those who stare at her on the balconies. Emmanuella presses a button. Quickly, the sails flip to Espela’s colors: yellow and purple. Ooos and aawes whisper from below. The ship glows showing off the beautifully decorated guest rooms and dining hall. Soon, people will line up to take the first air cruise around the world, and Emmanuella made it possible.