Turbulence

THE PROMPT




Your character is a passenger on a plane.

Everything seems normal until the Captain announces, "This is your Captain speaking..."

Write about what happens next in your poem or story. You pick the genre.




Turbulence

     A clap of thunder echoed outside both sides of the plane, and a few seconds later a lightning bolt shot just outside a window a young boy was looking out. Maxwell bounced back in his chair and grabbed hold of his little sister sitting next to him.

     Sitting next to Maxwell and Janice, a Flight Attendant reached over and closed the window beside Maxwell. “You don’t have to be afraid. It’s just a little thunder and lightning.”

     “I’m not scared. It’s Janice that’s scared of it. I was just protecting my little sister.”

     Janice gave him a dirty look. “No, he isn’t. He’s the one who’s afraid of it. Whenever it happens at home, he hides under his blankets, in his closet, or in his bathroom. He used to hide under the bed. But not he’s too old to do that.”

     “No, I don’t. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

     “Yes, I do. But it doesn’t really matter since we don’t have a house anymore for him to hide in.

     “We have a house. In fact, we have two of them. Our parents got a divorce six months ago. We are on our way to live with our father for the next six months.”

     Brandy glanced over at Maxwell. “Yes, I know. That’s why I am sitting here with you. This is your first plane ride, isn’t it?”

     “I was told I was on a plane when I was about two. But I don’t remember it. This is Janice’s first time, though.”

     “I’m sorry your first plane flight has to be so scary. Most flights aren’t like this one.” Brandy first looked over at Janice and then back toward the Galley between first class and coach. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to see what’s going on.”

     Brandy got up and walked back to the Galley. Just before she did, she leaned over her chair toward Maxwell and Janice. “You had better buckle up, just to be safe.”

     Maxwell reached over and helped Janice put her seat belt on. Then he did it to himself. “There’s nothing to worry about little sister. This happens all the time on planes.”

     “I’m not worried. You’re the one that’s afraid.” Janice smiled at Maxwell. That smile turned into a frown. “How do you know this always happens if you don’t remember ever being on a plane before?”

     “Maybe I haven’t been on a lot of planes before, but I have seen a lot of them on television and movies. In almost all of them, this happened. I think it’s called turbulence.”

     “What’s turbulence? I have heard the name before. But I don’t know what it is.”

     “I’m not exactly sure either. But I think it has something to do with flying into the wind.”

     “Then this isn’t turbulence. That’s not a strong wind we hear out there.” Another clap of thunder echoed just outside both sides of the plane.

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     Brandy went into the Galley and slid the curtains across the entrance. She did it to the other side too. Then she walked up to the two male Flight Attendances. “What’s going on? I have two frighten children up front. And the rest of the passengers don’t look too good either.”

     Oliver didn’t look at Brandy as he continued placing the food trays back into their cubbyholes. “We don’t know. All we know is that our Captain contacted us a few minutes ago and told us to put everything away.”

     Walter continued locking cabinets, drawers, etc. “We have been trying to get her back. But she hasn’t responded.”

     “Either she’s too busy to call us back or she can’t. I hope it’s not the second one.”

     “I don’t understand what happened.” Brandy shook her head sadly. “This has been a pretty normal flight. Then suddenly this storm struck us.”

     Walter moved to the other side of the Galley and started helping Oliver. “This is all our Captain’s fault. I told them it was a big mistake having an all-female crew on this flight, especially since this is our Captain’s first flight. She used to be one of us until a few months ago.”

     A clearing throat echoed throughout the Galley. “I have been listening to everything that you have been saying. In fact, I’ve been listening ever since Brandy started walking back there.”

     “Speaking of Brandy, why aren’t you with those children. You’re not supposed to leave their sides until we land.”

     “Do that include the bathroom?” Brandy smiled at the camera overlooking the Galley. “Janice probably wouldn’t object since she’s ten. But Maxwell might. Then again, he might not. After all, he’s thirteen.”

     “This is no time to try to be funny. Get back to those children, now.”

     “I’m heading back there…now.” Brandy walked through the closed curtain. She got to the children and sat down. As she started buckling herself in the Captain’s voice spoke throughout the plane with an announcement.

     “This is your Captain speaking…” Captain Susan Moreland paused for only a few seconds. “As all of you have probably noticed, we have flown into a storm. It doesn’t look like we are going to be able to fly through it. So, we are going to try to fly over it.”

     A few seconds later everyone got slammed into the back of their chairs as the plane ventured upward about eighty degrees. They stayed that way for several minutes. Then the plane leveled itself straight again, and everyone pitched forward suddenly. Their seat belt prevented them from falling.

     Brandy looked over at Maxwell and Janice. “I think it’s going to be okay now.”

     Maxwell and Janice smiled at each other. “I told you I wasn’t worried.”

     “I’m not surprised.” Janice looked at the cockpit door in front of them. “After all, that is our mother flying this plane.”

Word Count = 968