Charles gazed at the frightened faces of his fellow passengers, wondering how they would handle what he had to say. He then glanced down at Brigitte and smiled before he spoke. “I don’t believe those passengers vanished off the airplane.”
A collective gasp filled the air.
“Wait a minute. You’re standing there and trying to convince us that we’re all just imagining those people vanished? I’m sorry, but you’ve lost your mind. Of course, they’ve vanished. Do you see any of them?” Mark rolled his eyes at the foolishness of Charles’ idea.
“What are you saying? I know I got on this airplane with my husband and now he’s gone. I’m sorry, but your theory makes no sense.” Sandi shook her head, unable to understand why he would say something so ridiculous.
“Hell, I think the abducted by alien’s scenario makes more sense,” Mark chuckled sarcastically.
“AAAH!” Renee jumped back in fear.
Everyone turned and saw the ashen look on her face.
“He’s gone! He was just here! Mike was standing right here next to me, but now he’s gone!” Renee cried out with a mixture of fear and confusion.
“She’s right. I saw him standing there before Patti and Mark returned. Oh, my God, what is happening to us?” Sandi cried out, feeling utterly helpless.
Jacob looked over at Charles and nodded again, each convinced of what was happening.
“Has anyone checked on the pilots lately?” Greg looked over at Maria and waited for a response.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll go and check on them now.” Maria struggled to compose herself as she walked toward the cockpit door. In all her years of flying, she had never imagined anything such as this could happen. She reached for the latch and slowly opened the door, saying a silent prayer both men were still there.
However, at times things do not turn out as we wish. “Oh no! Where’s Jim?”
“Quick, get in here and close the door,” Bill cried out. “I didn’t want to cause a panic. Jim vanished about 10 minutes ago.”
Maria quickly closed the door behind her. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and felt as though she would faint. “Two more of the passengers have vanished, as well. Bill, what’s going on?”
“I wish I knew. Jim and I were talking about the fog and how it should have cleared by now. I looked away long enough to check the instrument panel, but when I looked back, he was gone. Maria, have I gone insane? Is this some sort of strange delusion I’m trapped in?”
“I don’t know what this is, but if I don’t sit down, I’m going to fall down.” She began to sit in the same seat that Ron had occupied earlier, but Bill held up his arm, stopping her.
“Please sit in Jim’s chair. I really don’t want to be alone, if you don’t mind.”
Maria could see the fear in his eyes, and she had to admit she felt the same. “Sure, I’ll sit with you.”
“You said a couple more passengers have vanished. Who were they?” Bill hoped that some conversation would help ease his nerves.
“First, it was the little girl with the pink stuffed cat. Patti was getting her a sandwich and something to drink, but when she returned, the child was gone. We’ve looked everywhere for her, but she’s nowhere to be found. Then the guy that tried to open the hatch vanished a few moments ago.”
“Damn, and now Jim too. Where are they all going?” Bill rubbed his forehead, trying to ease his throbbing headache.
“I don’t know, but there’s one more thing. Patti and Mark returned from looking for the child with someone that wasn’t on the plane AFTER the blue light.”
“What? Maybe he was just overlooked in all the confusion.”
Maria shook her head, unable to make sense of it herself. “No, he wasn’t there. We made sure all the remaining passengers were up in First Class, as told. He wasn’t there.”
“Are you saying we are now having people suddenly appear too?” Bill was now convinced he had, in fact, lost his mind.
“Yes, I am, and there’s something else too.” Maria held her breath, not wanting to tell him.
“Okay, what can be any more confusing than people disappearing and appearing?”
Maria braced herself, as she knew this information would not be helpful. “There’s a strange thick, swirling fog in the back of the plane and it’s slowly moving its way forward.”
Bill sat in complete silence for several moments before he finally spoke. “Is it like that?” He pointed toward the windshield and the fog swirling around it.
Maria gasped. “Yes, exactly like that.”
“I was worried about that.” Bill looked at the fog, swirling around the windshield and tried to shake off the idea brewing in his mind.
***
“Okay, old man, what’s your theory? What do you mean by that outrageous statement?” Mark had had enough of the crazy talk. He wanted to go home, but he was beginning to believe he would be stuck on this airplane forever.
Charles started to speak, but Jacob cut him off. “I know you’re scared. Hell, we all are, but lashing out at each other isn’t going to help. All of us are involved in something we don’t understand. We all got on this flight, believing we would arrive in New York, and then go on with our lives. I, for one, was looking forward to returning to my family and friends, but sometimes life has other plans for us. I don’t know how religious you all are, but I have faith that everything happens for a reason. We face things in our lives as lessons to improve ourselves and...”
Mark interrupted Jacob before he could continue. “Stop with the religion stuff. What does that have to do with what’s happening to us now?”
“Are you saying what I think you are?” Greg wrapped his arm around Tara’s waist and pulled her close.
“No, that’s impossible. It can’t be true,” Sandi whimpered softly.
Charles sat next to Brigitte, who still was comforting Sandi.
“No, it can’t be true. I won’t accept it,” Renee cried.
Jacob stared into each frightened face. “It’s the only rational explanation.”
“No, no, you’re wrong! It’s not true!” Mark shook his fist, not wanting to believe what he knew must be true.
“No, he’s right. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.” Patti turned and looked at Chase, who was listening to everyone. “When we found him, he said he wanted to know how he got here because he was on the ground, surrounded by lots of people. At first, I thought he was just talking nonsense, but now I wonder if he was right.”
“Come on, you’re going to believe him. Hell, he’s just as confused as the rest of us. There is no way he was on the ground. He was on the floor in the back row of seats.” Mark felt a massive headache now pounding in his temples. He reached up and gently rubbed them, trying to ease the sickening pain.
Chase sat up in his seat. “I was on the ground. There were people all around me. They were crying and shouting out names. I remember a man lying next to me crying and shouting out for his wife. He kept begging for someone to find his wife, Sandi. Yeah, that was her name.”
“What did you say?” Sandi looked at Chase, unsure if she’d heard him correctly.
“Oh, my God! Now I understand,” Renee cried, as a sense of realization came over her.
“Stop it, you’re all talking nonsense. That’s impossible, we can’t be…” Mark’s words trailed off as if saying them aloud would make them true.
Silence filled the air as everyone contemplated this discovery. They exchanged glances, as each hoped they would awaken them from this strange nightmare.
“Look!” Tara cried out, as she pointed toward the back of the plane.
Everyone turned to see what had frightened Tara.
“We’re out of time, aren’t we?” Tara whispered as the thick, swirling fog slowly moved toward them.
Greg took Tara in his arms and held her close. “I love you and I always will.”
&nbs
p; “Oh, George, please take care of our children,” Sandi wept, as she watched the fog move closer.
Mark stepped back, not wanting to surrender to his fate. “No, I’m not ready. I want more time.”
Jacob reached out and took Mark’s hand. “There is no need to fear. You will never be alone. None of us will.”
Patti felt her legs grow weak. She sat in the chair next to Chase, trying to understand what was happening. Chase looked over at Patti then took her hand in his and smiled.
Charles leaned in close to Brigitte and whispered into her ear. “Thank you for all the happy years, my dear. Now, I look forward to our eternity together.”
One year later…
The sound of the rain on the roof set the mood for the day. The turnout for the memorial service on the one-year anniversary of Flight 437 was quite large as people came to pay their final respect for those lost when the flight crashed upon takeoff.
The final report stated the cause of the plane going down was due to Birdstrike. With the thick fog, it was assumed that several birds somehow ended up getting sucked into the jet engines, as well as hitting the windshield. The craft had begun its ascent when the birds struck, causing it to crash to the ground.
In the past few months, the media had reported strange stories of the flight. One passenger after awaking from a coma had reported how he was on the flight when there was a flash of blue light then most of the passengers were gone. He said they had tried to find everyone, but were unsuccessful. Then there was a similar story told by a young girl. Of course, no one believed the fanciful tales, but the media reported them anyway.
***
No one noticed the elegant woman seated in the wheelchair, pushed by an older, gray-haired man as it made its way through the crowd. Jim had spent four months in the hospital, recovering from his injuries, but after several months of intensive physical therapy, he was once again able to walk.
“Oh, Sweetheart, there’s Bill’s picture,” Carol pointed to the picture on the wall with the others who had perished in the crash.
Jim rolled the wheelchair closer to the wall, allowing Carol to touch the image of a beloved friend. “Jim, he was too young to go.”
Jim felt the sorrow he had felt the day he was told that Bill did not survive. When he had awoken in the hospital after three weeks in a coma, he had tried to explain what had happened. However, no one seemed to believe him, other than Carol.
“Yeah, he had so many plans for his life. I guess we just never know how much time we have left…” Jim reached out and rested his hand on Carol’s shoulder.
“I’m glad we were able to come today. I think it’s important to say goodbye to our friends.” Carol knew that Jim had not wanted to come, but she felt it was important for him to be able to close that chapter in his life. He had tried every excuse he could think of, but she knew he needed to do this.
“Are you tired?” Jim leaned down and whispered in her ear. “We can go if you’d like.”
“No, not at all. You’re the one pushing the wheelchair. Why, are you tired?”
“No, I just…” Suddenly Jim heard a voice from behind him.
“Are you the Captain?”
Jim spun around and found himself looking into the tear filled eyed of a young man. “Yes, I was the Captain of this flight.”
“My name is Mike. I was a passenger on the flight,” he then offered his hand.
Returning the handshake, Jim smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Mike.”
“Are you here alone?” Jim glanced behind him and did not see anyone who appeared to be with him.
Mike turned and pointed to an elderly couple, speaking with another group of people. “No, I’m here with my parents. They are the ones who talked me into coming today.”
Jim shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish grin appearing on his face. “Yeah, I didn’t want to come either. However, my wife thought it would be for the best.”
“Is this your beautiful wife?” Mike held out his hand to Carol.
Taking his offered hand, Carol gave it a gentle squeeze. “My name is Carol. It’s nice to meet you, Mike.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“Did you lose someone close to you?” Carol held his gaze.
Mike thought for a moment on her question. Even though he had not known his fellow passengers prior to the flight, he had felt a bond grow between them throughout their difficult experience.
“Yeah, I guess I did. I just met the husband of one of the passengers who didn’t make it. Her name was Sandi. I was able to tell him that she loved him and her greatest wish was to get back to him. I told him that she didn’t suffer, and she was never alone.”
Carol felt tears begin to sting her eyes as she watched this young man come to terms with what he had experienced.
“I found the picture of a man who helped me on the flight a little while ago and I was able to meet some of his family. I’m the passenger who freaked out and tried to open the door. He sat with me and...” Mike wiped a stray tear from his cheek as he thought back to how compassionate Jacob had treated him. “I only wish I could have had the chance to tell him how much his kindness meant to me.”
“I’m sure he knows how you feel,” Jim hoped he was right.
“Of course, he does. Don’t let guilt eat away at you. You were given a wondrous gift to live your life. Don’t let the guilt of anything you may have done that day hold you back from enjoying your life,” Carol’s eyes shown with compassion and understanding.
“She’s right, you know? We all experienced something amazing. However, now we must learn from that lesson and live the rest of our lives in a way to pay justice to that gift.” Jim suddenly realized he must as well release the pain and guilt he was clinging to each day.
A feeling of tranquility fell over Mike. He knew they were correct. He was given a gift, and it was up to him to be worthy of it. “Thank you; I’m glad to have met you. I need to get going. I see my dad is waving at me.”
“We’re glad to have met you as well,” Jim said, while Carol nodded her head in agreement.
Without saying another word, Mike turned and walked to where his parents were waiting.
Jim leaned closely to Carol’s ear, “Let’s go find the pictures of Maria and Patti. I would like to pay my respect.”
***
“Mommy, there’s the nice lady who stayed with me on the airplane,” Kimi pointed to the picture of Patti among the others who had perished on Flight 437. “I hope she’s taking care of my kitty.”
Samantha leaned down and kissed Kimi on the top of her head. “I’m sure she is.”
Dave took Samantha’s hand in his and squeezed it gently. When Kimi had first shared her story of what happened had on the airplane after the bright blue light, he thought she had just imagined it. Then again, as time went on and her story never changed, he began to wonder if it were true.
When she was found at the crash site, no one thought she would survive. The hospital was forced to put her in an induced coma until her vital signs had stabilized. Samantha had spent a week in the hospital after surgery to repair the compound fracture on her right leg.
Dave had sat by Kimi’s bedside, praying for a miracle for three, long weeks, until she finally awoke and whispered, “I’m hungry, I want my sandwich.”
“Excuse me, did you know her?”
Samantha and Dave turned around and gazed into the tear-filled eyes of a man with a picture of a baby in his hands.
“She was a nice lady. She stayed with me when I was scared and couldn’t find my mommy and daddy,” Kimi answered without hesitation.
“She was my wife.” He motioned toward the picture of Patti with the others who had died in the crash. “She was so excited about being an aunt. Her sister was due any day, and she was planning to take some time off and spend it with her sister and the baby. I don’t know why I brought this picture. I know it’s foo
lish, but I thought Patti might want to see a picture of her nephew. We hadn’t started our own family yet. We just couldn’t seem to make the time…”
“What a handsome little boy,” Samantha fought to hold back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“Thank you. I don’t know why I came here today. I wasn’t going to come, but something told me this was where I needed to be.”
Dave and Samantha both nodded their understanding. Neither of them had wanted to come when they heard of the Memorial Service, but Kimi had insisted.
Holding out his hand, he forced a smile. “My name is Chris. You know, she wasn’t supposed to be on that flight?”
Dave took the offered hand and returned the handshake. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I know how frightened we were when we thought we’d lost Kimi.”
A feeling of utter despair overtook Chris. They had had so many plans for their life together, and now they were gone. The room seemed to close in around him until he felt a slight tug on his jacket. Looking down, he found himself lost in the sweet face of a little angel.
Kimi looked up into his eyes and saw the tears streaming down his cheeks. She then held up her arms.
Without thinking, he kneeled and surrendered to the offered embrace. As he rested his head on her shoulder and wept, Kimi gently stroked his hair.
“Don’t worry. She didn’t suffer. None of us understood what had happened to us, but I do now. Everyone thought the other people had disappeared from the airplane, but that’s not what happened. We were all there because we were out of our bodies and didn’t understand what had happened to us. But me and two other people came back because it wasn’t our time to go to the next place yet. When I was sleeping in the hospital, I saw the nice Captain and the scared man. They both left the airplane and then came back. Daddy says I was asleep a long time in the hospital. He said that he and Mommy had cried and prayed that I would come back to them. Don’t be sad because we truly never die. I believe we all just go on to another place and wait for those we’ve left behind.”
Lifting his head and gazing into Kimi’s eyes, Chris felt a new sense of relief come over him. “So, you knew Patti? You were with her on the airplane?”
“Yes; she helped me. I was so scared, but she stayed with me until…”
“Until you woke up in the hospital.” Chris wiped away a tear streaming down her cheek. “Thank you, Kimi. You have helped to ease the pain. Now I know she didn’t suffer and she’s waiting for me to join her when it’s my time.”