Plane Ride

Nicholas Smallwood
prompt:Plane





Plane ride
I waited for what seemed to be forever in the crowded airline gate. Finally it was time to board. I walked down the jetway, my suitcase bumping against the walls of the jet way as I approached the plane. There were two levels to the plane and I was on the bottom––not in first class or anything, but in the back with business class. I stored my bag and found my seat. I waited for a while as the other passengers boarded. I took out a magazine and started to read. Finally, after everyone had boarded, the instructional video started to play. It was nothing new. I've seen those videos countless times. Then I buckled my seatbelt and the plane began to taxi down the runway. I felt the force of the plane moving faster and faster until eventually the plane lifted off the ground and glided into the air. Once we reached cruising altitude, I settled back and continued to read my magazine. This magazine was not short. I bought it for twenty dollars at the airport and it was a special edition so that I could read something for a while on the plane. After a bit, I used the screen on the back of the seat in front of me to watch one of my favorite movies, Rocky. After a while, the movie ended and I wondered how long until we landed. I thought I remembered the flight being only two hours long but the movie I had watched had already been two hours long and I had read the magazine for an hour after takeoff. How could I have been on a flight that only lasted two hours, for three hours? That was impossible. Could I have overestimated how long I had read, or maybe we were stuck in a storm without knowing it––maybe even a time loop. I had no idea. I was curious so I went up to the front of the plane and asked a flight attendant how long the flight was. She said it should only be about forty five minutes until we landed.Then I went back to my seat. Since it was late at night, I thought I should probably get some sleep before we landed. Even though it was only 45 minutes until we landed I knew I would need sleep because tomorrow would be a busy day. In a few minutes, I fell asleep. Then in what felt like a few minutes, I was woken up by a loud crash that sounded like it was coming from the front. The crash was followed by screaming and yelling. Immediately, I wanted to know what in the world was going on. I rubbed my eyes and then jumped up from my seat and peered along the aisle.Then I saw that the snack cart had been pushed over and it looked like people were fighting over the contents. I ran to the back of the plane and looked around, then I saw a flight attendant hiding behind a suitcase. I slowly lifted the suitcase off of the flight attendant. Immediately after I did so, they started screaming and shielding their face. Then I asked them, “What is happening?” They responded in a timid voice “a few hours ago the pilots said that they had lost communication with ground control and also lost their location on the map. Then an hour later the pilots said they had run out of fuel and we would have to evacuate. But when we tried the doors they were stuck. The pilots didn't know what to do, so of course they just hid from all the anxious passengers in the cockpit, and they haven't come out since.” 

“And why are all the passengers fighting?” I asked the flight attendant. “After a while, the passengers started getting angry ,and hungry, and after one of them tried to steal the snack cart the others started fighting over it and now everyone is fighting.”  The flight attendant responded. After hearing all that, I didn’t know what to do. I started to feel sick and I ran back to my seat and past all of the people fighting. I ripped open the overhead compartment, grabbed my suitcase from inside it, and hastily unzipped it. I rummaged through my suitcase until I found my phone.Then I tried calling everyone I knew, but then I realized what was I thinking? Of course  there isn’t any cell service on an airplane who knows how many feet in the air. I started to really panic now. I thought maybe I could break into the cockpit and break the windshield and jump out of the plane? No, I remember reading somewhere that plane windshields are extremely impact resistant. And the air pressure would throw everything out of the cockpit along with me anyways. I don't know what to do. I guess I could maybe try the door, maybe the flight attendant was lying. I don't know why they would though. I guess it is worth a shot. I prepared myself  to run past all of the passengers. And then I ran, as fast as possible. I saw people fighting, and people trying to steal other people's things. I dodged people left and right. One man even swung a punch at me, but I was traveling too fast for his fist to even come close to me. Finally, I made it to the front of the plane and tried the door, but it was stuck. Defeated, I ran back to my seat and made a plan. I was going to write down everything that happened. I wouldn't have much time but I would try to include most of the events that happened on that day. If you are reading this you now know what happened to to the Boeing 747 that left the Atlanta airport at ten thirty on May 6, 2009. I got this note out of the plane, I do not know, but you know that I did get the note out of the plane and that's all you need to know.

The End              

 

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