The 21 Balloons

Both the protagonist, Professor Sherman, and the Krakatoans he meets enjoy adventurous, satisfying lives made possible by daring risks intelligently taken.

Wishing to enjoy a year of peaceful solitude after a career of hectic school teaching, Sherman reasons that a lengthy balloon flight will do the job. This has its risks, so he works out carefully the things he needs to reduce the dangers of his proposed adventure. He wants the balloon to be extra-large so that it can stay aloft for weeks or months; he also orders a lightweight gondola in the shape of a tiny house that contains all the necessities. His system uses a long fishing line that cleans clothes by dragging them through seawater. His bed inflates with hydrogen so as to be ultra-lightweight and, when not in use, float to the ceiling, out of the way.

Ultimately, this system fails when birds, fighting over Sherman’s discarded garbage, break his balloon. Ever resourceful, he offloads everything to keep the craft afloat until it can reach land, then realizes he must cut away the tiny house while hanging onto the deflating balloon until it crashes on the shore of an island.