Flash Fiction:
Inspired by Asiaian Airlines Flight 214
The feeling was indescribable. Crash. Smoke. Fire. This only happens in the movies. My head was bruised and bleeding. My thoughts were foggy and I knew I must have blacked out for a time.
Screaming. I woke up and that’s all I heard. Panic. Scrambling. Moaning. Cries of absolute terror. When I picked up my head, I watched as fellow passengers raced to find an exit. To find a way out of this nightmare. Sirens roared in the distance. My body was stunned; it didn’t want to move.
I was returning home to California after a year of studying abroad. My family was anxious to see me. One year is a long time to be away from your parents, your friends, your everyday life. I had called my mother a day earlier and she had arranged to meet me at the airport. I’d imagined a homemade sign, maybe even a tasty treat to celebrate my arrival home. I wasn’t expecting it, but in the back of my mind I was hoping for it.
I could only imagine the look on my mother’s face. The airport must have been on high alert. When you hear of a plane crashing, you always feel this tightness in your chest. You imagine your loved one on that plane. You always think the worst and hope for the best. In this moment, I can’t picture that my mother was very hopeful. When your only child is in trouble and you can’t do anything to help, it can’t be much worse.
My legs wouldn’t budge. It was as if I were paralyzed. My voice was faint and my cries for help simply blended into the chaos that surrounded me. I felt someone tug at my shoulder. A female flight attendant appeared from behind the smoke; a vision of an angel walking through the clouds. I will be saved. I will be okay. I will live to see tomorrow. My legs began to bend and I was soon standing upright. I can do this. She guided me through the smoke, pushing my back with both of her hands. We had found the exit. I lowered myself to the door and slid down the inflatable slide. I slid to safety.
I was immediately carried away by an EMT to a nearby ambulance. My mind became foggy at that point. I don’t remember what happened over the next few hours, but I realized just how lucky I was to be alive. I was sure that not all the other 300 passengers on board shared my same fate.
The day was July 6, 2013. I will never be the same.
Screaming. I woke up and that’s all I heard. Panic. Scrambling. Moaning. Cries of absolute terror. When I picked up my head, I watched as fellow passengers raced to find an exit. To find a way out of this nightmare. Sirens roared in the distance. My body was stunned; it didn’t want to move.
I was returning home to California after a year of studying abroad. My family was anxious to see me. One year is a long time to be away from your parents, your friends, your everyday life. I had called my mother a day earlier and she had arranged to meet me at the airport. I’d imagined a homemade sign, maybe even a tasty treat to celebrate my arrival home. I wasn’t expecting it, but in the back of my mind I was hoping for it.
I could only imagine the look on my mother’s face. The airport must have been on high alert. When you hear of a plane crashing, you always feel this tightness in your chest. You imagine your loved one on that plane. You always think the worst and hope for the best. In this moment, I can’t picture that my mother was very hopeful. When your only child is in trouble and you can’t do anything to help, it can’t be much worse.
My legs wouldn’t budge. It was as if I were paralyzed. My voice was faint and my cries for help simply blended into the chaos that surrounded me. I felt someone tug at my shoulder. A female flight attendant appeared from behind the smoke; a vision of an angel walking through the clouds. I will be saved. I will be okay. I will live to see tomorrow. My legs began to bend and I was soon standing upright. I can do this. She guided me through the smoke, pushing my back with both of her hands. We had found the exit. I lowered myself to the door and slid down the inflatable slide. I slid to safety.
I was immediately carried away by an EMT to a nearby ambulance. My mind became foggy at that point. I don’t remember what happened over the next few hours, but I realized just how lucky I was to be alive. I was sure that not all the other 300 passengers on board shared my same fate.
The day was July 6, 2013. I will never be the same.