From bad to good to strange

From bad to good to strange


It was time at last for me to pack my bags. I was very happy today; I was going to the Florida Keys for a week! Today I woke up nice and early so I could pack and get to the airport on time. As I packed shirts, shorts, jeans, underwear, socks, shoes, and hats I realized that my laundry basket had my favorite shirt in it. I checked my watch and started a quick load of wash; my shirt came out nice and clean soon afterward. 

Soon my bags were packed with clothes, two or three books, and my toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss. I headed out to the Johnson City International airport (I lived in Tennessee). I drove along the roads towards the airport very carefully because it was going to be winter in a couple months and there was no telling when the roads might ice-up. While I drove along I glanced out the window for a second, I saw snow! There were little shining grayish-white flakes falling all around from the sky in a beautiful curtain of frozen water. I pulled into the airport and gave the woman at the booth my ticket; she told me to go sit down while I waited for my flight.

While I sat waiting for my flight I watched the snow cover my car. Suddenly I was startled by a noise-a crunch from where the cars were, I saw the pieces of hail slam into many of the cars; then I saw thousands of huge chunks of hail slam into my car and crush it to the ground. Then over the intercom I heard my worst fear come true “Several flights cancelled due to snowstorm, I repeat…” I was trapped in an airport until tomorrow, could this day get any worse? Then I heard something else on the intercom “… Several flights have been cancelled, flights Q33… are still open, I repeat…” I wanted to shout out to the world my happiness, Q33 was my flight! I could still go on vacation!

I boarded the plane and walked to my seat. Then I pulled out my phone and called my insurance company. While I explained my car was scrap metal now I realized that by this time tomorrow I would be relaxing on a sunny beach. The next morning the flight attendant woke me up “Sir it’s time to exit the plane now.” I saw an amazing view of Key West! I was going to love this vacation! I heard something odd as I left the plane “Q33 NY now loading.”

I went to my hotel and retrieved my room key then I went to my cozy little room and unpacked. I ordered room service for breakfast then I went out to the local beaches and swam to my hearts content. “This vacation is great” I said to myself that night. The same things happened every day; I ordered room service then hit the beaches of pure white sand for a day of fun and sun. Then I would go back to my room and have dinner. Soon my week was over and I caught a flight back home. I watched the news that night and thanked the Lord, the plane that had taken me to the Keys had then gone to New York and helped bomb a building, the date I got off my plane in the Keys was September 10th 2001.     

Word Count 577.