Amelia and I

As usual I had slept rather badly. Whenever my brain caught the slightest whiff that something exciting or otherwise was about to happen, it clicked into adrenaline drive. That always meant that sleep was no longer my best friend. I had tossed, cussed, turned, yelled at sleep, begged it to please visit. All to no avail.

So here I am all bleary-eyed, standing at the check-in counter at the airport, waiting for Flight 142 from Florida to Bermuda. The line was moving slowly. Finally we are now seated and final advice and recommendations given by the crew members. I took the little package with all my information for a well needed two weeks vacation out of my purse and reviewed my itinerary. I smiled contentedly, at last I could get a little shut eye. After a few valiant attempts at comfort, I made myself as comfortable as possible, closed my eyes and sighed happily.

Moments later, or longer, I'm not quite sure how long I slept, I awakened in alarm to the plane shaking rather violently. Small objects had seemingly escaped the hands of the passengers and were sliding along the floors. Young children were wailing loudly and frightfully.

"What is happening". I asked the very quiet elderly gentleman sitting next to me. He simply shrugged his shoulders, as if it didn't really matter to him. Very strange I thought.

"Please keep calm, make sure your seatbelts are securely fastened. Please remain seated, make sure your seats are in an upright position, secure all children and handheld accessories. Do not panic. The Captain will address you shortly. Thank you". The flight attendants tilted and swayed as they tried to make sure everyone was properly secured before taking a seat themselves.

This was no ordinary turbulence. The airplane was practically rattling and I could swear that it would start breaking apart at any minute. It occurred to me that we may be disappearing into the Bermuda Triangle. I smiled, was that not a myth?

The overhead PA system crackled to life.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. It seems that we have entered into a Virga. It is basically a stream of excessive turbulence caused by a system of rainclouds and water vapor. Please remain calm as we will be out of this in a few minutes. The Flight crew is available to assist with any problems which may arise. Please remain seated and try to stay calm. Thank you".

"Did he just say the plane needs Viagra"? An unphased cheeky young man chimed up. His other young travelling companion laughed nervously.

"It is a Virga". The quiet gentleman said.

"What is that grandpa"? Cheeky lad chimed in.

"What exactly is that"? Others were asking.

The gentleman looked around at the panicked faces. As loud as he could muster, he tried to explain. Everyone fell quiet as he started to speak. He tried to make the explanation as simple as possible, anything to help keep everyone calm.

" A Virga is formed where there is low humidity and high temperature which causes rain to evaporate shortly after being released by clouds. It can happen at high altitudes in the form of ice crystals. It causes microbursts of air, which will account for the turbulence which you are now experiencing".

"Are you sure you know what you are talking about, old timer". The rude young passenger said insolently.

"If you know better, then please feel free to share your knowledge with everyone". My seat partner fell back into silence.

The elderly gentleman looked worried. He knew that Virgas normally formed over deserts and places like that, it was really odd to find one over the ocean. What if the Bermuda Triangle was a real phenomenon, and they were being drawn into it. But he kept quiet, having no wish to alarm the other passengers unnecessarily.

I eased myself up as far as I could to look around, as I did so an object looking like a handheld tablet came flying towards me, hitting my head with such force, I fell back into my seat, blacking out instantly.

When I awoke the plane was empty. Except for myself and a strange woman in the adjacent window seat. She stared over at me, smiling. Suddenly, I found myself transported into another reality.

Amelia

"Fred please fetch me the binding for the case so we can fasten it here, thank you". Amelia said as she slowly walked around the Lockheed Model 10-E Electra airplane, only this was a much more modern version of the original aircraft, I couldn't quite see the model number.

I stood for a moment in stunned silence. I was standing next to Amelia Earhart. Turning my head at right angles to her I saw more models of the famous airplane lined up and on display. What looked like a small airfiedd was visible in the distance. Sensing my silence, she turned to look at me.

"Who are you, and where is Fred"? She asked, a puzzling look upon her face.

I had no idea who Fred was, nor was anyone else in sight.

"I...I'm Marla. Where am I. You..you are Amelia Earhart. How are you here, or am I here"? I was so confused.

Amelia shifted her head, asking a question with the tilt of her tomboyish head.

"What year is this, if I may ask"? Looking around at the buildings and landscape, I knew that I was not going to like the answer.

"Well you are dressed rather oddly, I must say. It's 1951. Why do you ask"?

"But, that is impossible, you died in 1937, or at least they declared you dead in 1939. How are you here in '51"? I should really be more concerned about how I got from 2023 to 1951. But priorities, priorities. This was Amelia wonderful Earhart, one of my absolute heroines.

Amelia was now quite intrigued. I could see the wheels and cogs turning in her head, wondering what and who I was, where I was from, and the many possibilities of such an opportunity.

"Come, tell me your story". Taking my arm lightly, she led me inside a large airplane hanger. Hanging on the wall was a huge picture of Charles Lindbergh.

"Mama, mama, Mattheau won't let me play with the new toy plane". Two young children came bursting out of a nearby door.

"Children, darlings, now you must learn to share". Amelia hugged the young girl as their au pair came running to retrieve them. The young lad spurned the attempts at hugging as both ran back laughing and being chased by their caretaker.

"You have children! Now you must tell me your story". Curioser and curioser and completely intriguing this dream was getting. Because by now I knew that this could only be a dream.

"You first, I insist". She replied.

I quickly recounted my unspectacular life. I told her about boarding the airplane, the Virga turbulence, getting bonked on the head and then darkness and waking up here.

"Perhaps it is time for the world to know my real story. Perhaps you were sent through time for a reason. A lot of time has passed. I will now briefly tell you what really happened on that day".

For a moment I was back in the rattling airplane. People were standing over me, trying to revive me. I saw dim shapes, then my eyes closed and I was back in 1951. I felt a bit nauseous and swayed a little. Amelia fetched me a glass of water and sat back down beside me, after a minute or so, and after making sure I was feeling better, she began her story.

"I'm sure that you know of my history up to the time of my supposed disappearance. What the world does not know is what happened after our most recent stop.

During an attempt at becoming the first woman to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10-E Electra, Fred Noonan and I disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. We were last seen in Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937, on the last land stop before Howland Island and one of tour final legs of the flight. The aircraft developed difficulties over the Pacific during the circumnavigation. We were forced to crash land in an unknown are, luckily with little damage to the plane.

In those days a war had ended and another was brewing. There were spies everywhere. Unfortunately for us at the time, we were captured and held by a small government organization who believed us to be spies. I cannot give you any detailed or specific information. That is still top secret and could well start another war. Fortunately for me the leader of the group and I fell madly in love. We were not allowed to leave however, on pain of death to Fred's and my family. We had bumbled our way into something supremely dangerous. Both Fred and I started a new life here. You cannot say where. I was subsequently introduced to Charles Lindbergh and with his help I started my own company, which is what you see around you.

It was just three weeks prior to my fortieth birthday that all this occurred. Nearly one year and six months after Noonan and I disappeared, we were officially declared dead. Investigations and significant public interest in our disappearance probably still continues over 80 years later, does it"? Amelia enquired hopefully.

I reached for my cell phone in my pocket. By some miracle Wi-Fi was available, and the battery was still alive. I had pictures of planes and 'modern' life which I shared with her. I googled her and she was left speechless. Amelia pored over the concept of the cellphone and other marvels of modern inventions.

"It is almost time for you to go Marla, it was wonderful meeting you. You have changed a lot of ideas for me, I now understand a lot of things which will help me going forward. I thank you. Now allow me to help you". She paused. looking at the phone.

"Can this contraption capture my voice". She enquired.

I hit the record button, inviting her to record her voice. She clapped her hands like a child discovering something for the first time. Taking the phone she spoke into it:

"Tell the pilot he may be over the Bermuda Triangle, he has to try to climb to an even higher altitude where precipitation can compressionally heat as it falls. This will result in a gusty downburst, this downburst should substantially and rapidly warm the surface temperature. He may use the heatburst to successfully guide the plane to safety".

I snapped back to reality, looking around at the now crying, fearful airplane filled with terrified passengers. I had been dreaming I realized.

The turbulence had gotten worse. A flight attendant was sitting by me, they had reseated my seatmate. She was dabbing my face with a moist towelette as the plane rocked and rolled maddeningly. I sat up as straight as I could assuring her that I was ok, thus allowing her to return to assisting the very worried and terrified passengers.

"The plane is freefalling a bit, I think we are all going to die". Someone said.

"No one is going to die today". I said loudly.

Remembering the dream, I hopefully reached for my cellphone. I hit the play button on the recorded message and heard the distant voice of Amelia Earhart giving directions on how to save Flight 142 from Florida, destined to Bermuda with an airplane full of frightened passengers.

I asked the flight attendant to take it to the pilot. She listened with my earpiece, not wanting the others to hear it just yet. Can't hurt, she said looking at me strangely.

Fifteen or twenty minutes later, after a fierce battle with the cold air preventing ascent, the heat of higher altitude freed the plane and we were steered to safety.

The pilot personally came to ask me how I knew and who actually made the recording.

"Why it was Amelia Earhart". I answered soberly.

...........................................................................................................

Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.........The site of her landing in Ireland became a small museum which is now opened, and called The Amelia Earhart Center.

In Meteorology, a Virga is an observable streak or shaft of precipitation falling from a cloud that evaporates or sublimates before reaching the ground. The streaks or shafts extends from the bottoms of clouds. They are often seen over a desert where low humidity and high temperatures can cause rain to evaporate shortly after being released by clouds. You may also see virga at high altitudes; in fact, the precipitation often starts out in the form of ice crystals. Virga is commonly seen in the US. West and above the Canadian Prairies, in the Middle East, Australia and North Africa.

Virgas can lead to the development of microbursts which pose a dangerous threat to planes and aircrafts. These microbursts come about as rainfall, transitions back into water vapor, removing heat from the air and causing an accelerating sink of colder air, which can cause severe turbulence.

Virgas have a puffy-top appearance, with streaky fingers hanging below. The puffy structure and dark base of a cumulus type cloud represent the body, while the light streaks of rain below it resemble the tentacles of a jellyfish.

Observing a virga is an especially dramatic sight at sunrise or sunset.