The Face

The Face

On the plane.

It was late in the night and almost everyone went to bed. No beds were here, and the beds were the passenger-chairs. My husband laid down his chair and slept with slight snores. However, I could not fall asleep, because I felt both excited and exhausted. I looked around. Some passengers were reading books under the reading lights. Some screens were on, and several bright faces were enjoying the films. It was quiet all around in the dark cabin.

A lot of strange thoughts twisted like a wool ball slipped into my brain. Where was I? what was the time now? How long could we arrive in the United States? I turned on the screen before me, and it was just two Am as shown. I felt confused by the time difference because I just said goodbye to parents in the night in the Airport. The plane was flying high above the ocean at this time. How did the ocean in the night look like? I didn't know. I quietly pulled up the curtain of the window besides me.

All darkened outside the window. I tried my best to see through the window but nothing. Only a vague face was on the window. I knew it was the reflection of my face on the window, like a mirror, through the beams of the lights from the bright screen. Nobody was awake on the plane now, except for me, and the vague face on the window.

I stared at the face and it stared back at me. I smiled to it and it smiled back. How weird the face looked like! I frowned to it, however, instead of frowning, it kept smiling! I rubbed my eyes, but that was exactly a smile. I tried to turn my head up and down, however, it kept still, smiling! I felt scared by the face and pushed my husband.

"Wake up, a weird face smiled at me on the window!" I cried out.

My husband didn't wake up, without moving. I pinched his cheeks, however he was still quiet. Then I put my hand on his nose. He was breathing. Then I opened his eyes. His eyes were static.

What happened to my husband! I alarmed the bell, but no hostess came.

"Help, something wrong with my husband!" I jumped from the chair.

But nobody waked up and only my sound echoed in the dark cabin.

"Just, calm down." A gentle sound of voice seemed from the microphone on the plane.

"I need some help, for my husband might pass out." I shouted through the microphone.

But there was no response from the microphone. The plane seemed powered off, and the cabin was darkened. All the reading lights and screens were turned off. The only light was from the window besides me.

The weird face was still there on the window. Suddenly, I realized the sound I just heard was from the face. I found myself trembling. Then I closed my eyes. Something strange must happen because the plane was flying without any electricity power, and everybody passed out.

"Don't be afraid." The face said.

"Who are you?" I kept my eyes closed.

The face giggled, "I am you."

"I don't believe, and you must be a monster." I slightly opened my eyes. "if you are my reflection, why could you speak?"
"Because I am your inner self, and not the only reflection."

"what did you do to my husband and the passengers?"

"I did nothing to them, and you are in the different space." The face said.

"What do you want to do?" I exclaimed.

"Get outside the cabin, and go with me."

"Outside, are you crazy?

"Just take out the hammer beside the window, and break it." The face kept egging me.

"If I break the window, the plane will be out of control and everybody must die."

"Trust me, or I will help you." The face grasped the hammer and held it up.

"Oh, no, you monster." I closed my eyes tightly, crying out.

A huge cold air current rushed into the cabin. I could not breath, even open my eyes. I heard nothing but the sounds of the airflow and the cracks of the windows. I could see nothing but some fragments of the windows. I reached out to the handrail besides the passenger chair and grasped tightly. The aircraft might be falling quickly, and my heart tightened. The passenger belt around my body seemed to be broke, and my body left the seat. Maybe after a century, my body floated in the air.

I could fly! I kept my balance through the airflow in the cabin. Then I flew slowly to the room of captain, however, the door locked tightly. I knocked on the door, and no sounds inside. I flew back into the cabin, and I could touch the bodies of other passengers. Where was my husband? I searched the flying bodies, but no help.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang mixed with a huge airflow. A jet of water poured through the broken windows. The plane had crashed into the sea, drowning. I could say nothing even breathe, for I could not open my mouth. The sea water was biting cold, like a mouth with the sharp teeth. I could smell the stink of the salty blood, and I struggled to escape.
"Come with me." A cold hand grasped my arm. I tried to open my eyes, and it was darkened around.

I could not see, talk and breathe, but struggle.

"Don't be afraid." It was the face!

"No!" I shouted in the water, then the cold salty water blew into my mouth and throat. I wanted to puke, however my stomach could not push my dinner out. The hand grasped me tightly, and I felt my neck held by the face. I gradually lost my consciousness, dying.

"Are you ok?" A warm sound with the dim light came from the distance, getting closer and closer.

I started to breathe, and slowly open my eyes. Above me were faces, strange but polite. Fortunately, there was not the weird face. I breathed out my last and rubbed my eyes.

"Did you have nightmares? Drink some water, Dear." Among the faces, there was my husband's face. His voice was gentle and warm. Then he passed a glass of water from the hostess to me.

"If you need anything, just ring the bell." The hostess whispered.

"I was alive." I sipped the water and choked, short of breath.

My husband gently padded my back, "What happened? You talked loudly in your dream." He gently wiped sweat from my forehead, however, I broke into a cold sweat.

I pulled up the curtain and found-nothing. No face there! "Just now, there was a weird face on the window, and you passed out, then the plane crashed into the sea. Terrible!"

"Shh, quietly, we are safe now." My husband looked around.

"Nobody could hear us, and it was exactly like the reality."

"Just calm down, and that was just a nightmare. You are too excited for the journey to the United States."

Nightmare? Maybe. There were no power-off, no crashing accident even no weird face. I gradually felt relieved then relaxed.

My husband helped me to pass the empty glass to the hostess and unfolded the small table before me. "Honey, just have a good rest."

I could not fall asleep and it was daybreak outside. "I can't fall asleep now and I am very clear." I looked at my husband, and said, "you are right, maybe I was so excited about the journey. How did you feel when you went to London for the first time?"

My husband had gone to study in London for two years when he was a teenager. This time was his second time go abroad. However, it was different this time. He was not at that age, however a man and a husband.
He thought it for a while. Then said, "nothing special, just study, cook then sleep. Sometimes I did some part-time jobs then travelled around."

"It sounds a little boring."

"That was a journey to study, and study itself was boring."

"So how do you like the United States?" I asked.

"Actually, I have no idea, and this is my first time to go to the United States too." My husband frowned at me. "Maybe similar to the UK, an English-speaking country."

"Just an English-speaking country? Do you remember the cinema 'the legend of 1900'? When everyone saw the statue of liberty in New York, they might feel excited, because it was a sign of the welcoming to the country of freedom."

"Yes, but that is a cinema and not real."

"A cinema is a story of reality. Just like the dream." I recalled my nightmare several minutes ago, and it was so real. I could feel the touch of the face, the airflow and even the cold sea water in my brain.

"Maybe, the cinema is the reflection of the true life. Like your nightmare, it was the reflection of your real excitement or anxiety in your brain. I agree." My husband paused for a while.

"They are both the reflection of the reality." I was excited, "so will you say the same words, as the people in the 'Legend of 1900', when you saw the statue of liberty?"

"Dear, the plane will not arrive at New York. The journey is new to both of us, and it might be a beautiful dream or just a nightmare. Nobody knows."

I felt a little frustrated. Yes, our destination was Chicago other than New York.

I lost my imagination for a long time, however, it came back now. "It was back." My inner self said.

Nice dream or nightmare? I thought about the words of my husband.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning, we will be landing in Chicago in about one hour. The ground temperature is 66 F degrees. Wish you a pleasant day. Thank you!" The sweet voice of the hostess pulled me to the reality.

I stretched my body. We had flew on the air for nearly 16 hours!