My First, My Last

Black. Black was all I could see. Suddenly, red emergency lights started flashing. “May I have your attention. Please, ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention,” a voice announced.

What’s going on, I thought to myself.

Then the voice came back. “This is your captain speaking. We have just been hit by lightning and our engines have lost power. Please stay calm, fasten your seatbelts, and brace for impact.” Then it was gone.

I looked out the window, only to have my stomach leap out of my body. I stared at the engine. It had stopped. The engine had stopped. The plane was going to crash from 43,000 feet in the air. I struggled to turn around in my seat to see my dad. He held his hand out to me, and I grasped it firmly. Tears trickled down my young face. “Dad,” I asked, “are w…” my voice trailed off.

“We’ll be fine,” he assured me. “Everything will be just fine.”

The woman next to me started to weep. I wish I had never agreed to go and meet my cousins. I was only ten and a half anyways so I had plenty of time to meet them later. I could see the rooftops of houses as we rushed through the clouds. I started a countdown in my head. 15… 10… 5… I bit back tears, but it was no use. My first flight was going to be my last flight. A tree scraped the belly of the plane. My countdown stopped at three. Then, black. Black was all I could see. Just. Black.