Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Left Behind...

The flight was much delayed and longer than usual, but I finally made my way back to the City. Though I hardly noticed. I've taken to utilizing my coma-like sleep to pass the time during my air-borne travels with interesting results.

When we got on the plane (delayed from Dallas) I quickly wrapped up in my jacket and rested my head against the all-too-thin pillow propped against the window. I proceeded to drift off into a deep sleep, ignoring the businessman to my left flipping through the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

I woke up an hour and a half later. In my semi-conscious state I thought about how I missed the cookie and beverage trolley. I would have to call the flight attendant over to see if she could bring me over one. I stretched a little and turned my head from right to left, hearing a loud CRICK as I did so.

As my head turned to the left, I noticed that the businessman was no longer there! My eyes widened. My heart began to thud. I opened the window-shade and saw that we had landed. But where? Had I slept through my stop in New York? Where were all the people? Where was I?!?!

I unfastened my safety belt and saw that the entire plane was empty. Little tidbit flashes of a dumb Stephen King made-for-t.v. movie ran through my head. Episodes of the Twilight Zone zoomed through my memories. Biblical prophesies of the Rapture then sparked my imagination. I walked quickly to the front of the plane. Perhaps all my mother's warnings of the end of the world were true.

When I got to the front of the plane, the flight attendant came out from behind a curtain, slightly startled. I frantically asked, "What happened?!?!?"

For a moment she looked a little frightened. Then... she started laughing.

Apparently the weather in Milwaukee kept the plane from leaving the ground and they were still docked at the gate. We hadn't taken off. We were still in Milwaukee. All the people were inside the terminal, waiting comfortably for the hold on the plane to be removed. It was not the end of the world and we were not being chased by Langoliers, so I went back to sleep in my seat waiting until we finally did take off.

7 comments:

Cindy said...

Your life is an adventure, even when you're in between adventures! :-)

Anonymous said...

Just found your blog - love the Lost Behind episode - although to complete the references instead of 'Where have all the people gone?' I expected to see 'Where have all the little people gone?' Cheers, Lynn

Anonymous said...

oh dear...this is familiar! loved the story. we once fell asleep and didn't know the plane had landed. we just slept away while the cleaning crew was on and didn't wake up until the people were re boarding for he next flight. boy was that shocking! :-)
loved the empty plane pics.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Cindy... I imagine it is a bit. Though it is not of my own doing. I was talking with a friend the other day and he said, "Andrew, your life is just so interesting. Mine is so boring. Nothing ever happens."

I then asked him what he did that day. He went on to say that he had done the styling of an A-List celebrity and how he had met all these famous people and how he was planning a trip abroad.

I told him that his life was interesting. And that he too had many adventures. It's just all a matter of presentation. You know?

Everyone has a story.

Cindy said...

Stories are good. It's all in the way you look at it.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Lynn,

It's good to hear from you. I hope all is going well in Atlanta. Did you have fun at Bead & Button? I had a wonderful time.

I was quite startled when I woke up to no one around!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Paula!

I fall asleep in the most strange places at the most odd times. I wish that I could say that I'm used to it... but I'm not. I just wake up startled and find that I'm in yet another pickle.