"Professor, do you mind if I listen to my favorite radio show while we work?" Gilligan asked.
Skipper barked, "Gilligan! Getting rescued is much more important that some silly radio show!"
Mary Ann came to Gilligan's defense, "Oh Skipper, we can work and listen at the same time. Besides, it will help the time go by faster."
The Professor agreed, "I don't see the harm in having some music going."
The Skipper relented, knowing he was outnumbered, "Oh, all right. Gilligan, go get the radio." By the time Skipper finished, Gilligan was halfway to the compound.
When Gilligan returned, he was carrying the radio, already on. Much to everybody's surprise, it was an actual radio program, not Gilligan's usual bubblegum pop music.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to another episode of "Strange But True!" This story takes us to the South Pacific. Several passengers and crew about Royal Hawaiian Cruise Lines ship The Aloha Sunset witnessed an Unidentified Flying Object. Sources aboard the Aloha Sunset report US Air Force officers sneaking aboard during the middle of the night interviewing witnesses. The UFO was spotted flying just above the horizon near an area of several atolls, which were the scene of "island hopping" near World War II. Sources also report the witnesses and the Air Force Officers spending a great deal of time with the ship's physician, Adam Bricker M.D., a veteran of the U.S, Navy. Dr. Bricker would not comment on what sort of medical examinations he performed on these close encounters participants. UFO Expert Dr. Jonas Heilburg told Strange But True, "This is a classic UFO encounter. The US Air Force sends investigators out to make sure that the witness' story goes along with the official government position. Also, this Bricker character is suspect. A well regarded 'former' Naval Physician who treated many of today's astronauts who 'just happens' to be on the vessel who had this Close Encounter of the First Kind. " More on the Aloha UFO when we return.
Gilligan started looking up to the sky, and soon so were the Howells and Ginger and Mary Ann. The Professor and the Skipper just looked at each other.
Finally, it was the Skipper that spoke, "Don't you people understand?" Pointing to the balloon caught in the canopy of the trees, he added, "there's your Aloha UFO!"
The Professor contributed, "This is better news than I thought. I assumed the Soviets would be looking for the balloon, but now we have the US Air Force, and several UFO groups searching as well. They'll be disappointed when they find Boris, but at least we'll be rescued."
The 'R word' excited everybody, and five of the seven castaways started going on about being rescued. But Gilligan caught on to a slip the professor made.
Gilligan asked the Professor, "What do you mean find Boris? You can't send him back up in this thing that already crashed once!"
The Professor explained, "Gilligan, Boris' job is to fly back in the balloon. He can give the scientists valuable information, which could eventually send man to the moon. He's a working dog, and this is how he is meant to serve."
The Skipper added, "I hate to say it little buddy, but he's right. Remember the dogs we saw that worked for the Marines? This is no different."
Deep down, Gilligan knew they were right. But he also knew Boris beat the odds once by surviving one balloon crash, and he didn't really want the pooch to take another risk like that.
After a few hours of hard work, the castaways had a scaffold built up to the tree branches. After dinner, the seven took shifts carefully removing the polymer balloon by torch light. By breakfast, they had the balloon on the ground.
Sewing the gaping holes was also a tedious task. The mends had to be extremely tight, plus a rubbery concoction of the professor's devise was applied to the mends to make them airtight. All seven castaways, even the Howells, had to work on the sewing. After several hours, and the abuse of 35 fingers, the balloon was mended. Finally, the castaways could get much needed rest. The professor ordered a good nights sleep, and that they would send Boris on his way at dawn.
The Skipper, Professor, and Gilligan were making the fire needed to fill the balloon while Ginger and Mary Ann made breakfast. It was still dark out, with the sun's rays starting to peak over the horizon on the east. The Howells, of course, were fast asleep.
After the balloon was securely anchored and filling with hot air, the men went to go get breakfast. They were shortly joined by a rather sleepy Mr. and Mrs. Howell.
"Well, good morning, sleepy-heads," said the Skipper.
Mr. Howell replied, "A Howell doesn't rise at 5AM, maybe returns from a social event at that time, but never rises. Is our friend ready for his voyage?"
"Mr. Howell!" snapped Mary Ann, "Can't you see that upsets Gilligan?" Actually, Mary Ann wasn't too thrilled about sending the pooch up either.
Gilligan, unusually down, replied, "I'm not very hungry, I'm going to go get Boris."
As Gilligan left to get his new canine friend, Skipper gave Mr. Howell a glare that said 'are you happy now?'. The other six castaways finished their breakfast in rather unusual silence. They knew the dog was in for a rather risky mission.
Once the balloon was full, they put Boris in his carrier. Also put in the carrier was a message to whoever found the balloon about the location of the survivors of the wreck of the S.S. Minnow. Shortly after dawn, Boris floated up into the wild blue yonder.
