Passengers

Sitting on the train is a daily to-do, but there are always a plethora of new faces on each ride. You try to study them -- what kind of personalities are hidden under the surface -- and sometimes they will give little hints.

There are a few typicals. The avid reader, chin-deep in a novel, who you are almost certain will miss their stop. The listener, with the chunkiest pair of headphones you've probably ever seen. The snoozer, nearly falling face forward into the lap of the nearest passenger. You wonder if the snoozer is sleepy due to a late shift at work, a night shift following a day shift maybe, or perhaps they were studying too hard last night. Or partying too hard.

There are the endless scrollers, who never look up from their phones. The "never-take-the-train"ers, who you can tell only ever come to the rails in emergencies, from the way they are gripping their backpack, like they're expecting someone to jump out and take it from them.

And, of course, the ones that have no homes. But that's a different conversation.

You try to read who they are. What they are doing in their daily life. You can get some information from where they get off, whether they are going to the stop nearest the school, the college, the hospital, or the business sector. They all tell you a little bit about their lives.

A doctor. A lawyer. A university student. A mall go-er. A nurse.

Are they going to class? To work? To a date? Meeting friends? Going shopping?

It's enjoyable, getting this small amount of insight into who people are. Noticing their personalities. That they are more than just passengers.

...

You wonder if the people on that plane were the same way.

If they had any personality before the screaming started. Did they still have any remnants of their own identities once it began? Or did their emotions change themselves completely until all they were was a flock of panicked chickens, waiting for the slaughter?

Were they anything like who they used to be, in their final moments? Did their identities entirely disappear once the turbulence started, the air bags dropped, and the

plane

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ started

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ falling

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ?

Did anyone sit back, patiently, and just watch the shift? The way everything went berserk in only a small second. A second. A fraction of a second. And everyone changed.

Everything changed.

[X] passengers were on Flight [Y]. Officials report that no remains have been found of the plane, but they are still searching.

They were people.

Perhaps they are just passengers now.