PLANE NIGHTMARE

It was Halloween and the flight had suffered a huge delay for whatever reason, which led to most of the passengers being reseated on other flights, leaving only a handful of us. By "us," I mean those unlucky enough not to have been reseated or unable to afford a hotel, stuck at the airport. Despite the long wait, I preferred sharing the cabin with fewer passengers, which is something usually one could only accomplish in first class. I enjoyed the luxury of being able to choose my seat once I boarded the flight. While most of the passengers had decided to sit at the far back section of the plane, I chose a quiet corner seat in the front section where there were just a few other passengers who appeared to know each other, judging by how close they were seated together.

The flight was originally intended to take place during the day, but the delay resulted in an overnight flight. Not a big deal, but I didn't miss seeing the awesome view from outside the window, which eventually led me to focus my attention on the interior of the cabin. Despite the fact that most planes often appear larger on the inside, the enclosed space always made me feel a little uncomfortable and usually resulted in a persistent need for a distraction, such as reading a book or listening to music.

I was about to pull out my phone when I was suddenly approached by the flight attendant, asking me if I wouldn't mind sitting with the other passengers. Confused, I agreed to the unusual request since I was traveling fairly light and I figured there must have been a good reason for it, although I did regret not asking why when I had the chance. Shortly after changing seats and settling in, the entire cabin plunged into an eerie silence. I probably wouldn't have thought that much of it had it not been for the conversations between the other passengers that had quickly faded into frightened whispers of shock and disbelief.

Have you ever felt that strange sensation of the atmosphere around you instantly becoming heavy with sorrow and the thought, "I've never been cheerful again"? That's exactly what it felt like, and even more so as I looked to see what everyone was getting so upset about. I couldn't quite believe my eyes at first, and the notion of sharing a small cabin with a dead person for the remainder of the flight was extremely unsettling. I knew that the flight staff was probably following the procedure, but I could still feel my stomach churning in the face of this morbid turn of events.

At that point, I decided to head to the restroom. Eventually, I took a breather and told myself to get a grip. I wasn't the only passenger on the plane, after all. After a few minutes of finally pulling myself together enough to try to get through the rest of the flight, a loud thud shook the door. Suddenly, the banging stopped, and all I could hear was my elevated breathing. Strangely, I felt less safe alone, locked inside the restroom than I did outside with the rest of the passengers, so I waited just a few minutes before cautiously opening the door.

I couldn't see any sign of danger as I peered through the gap in the door and prepared to vacate the restroom. Just as I was about to discreetly return to my seat, the same flight attendant from before appeared out of nowhere, almost hitting me with the service trolley. It looked like she had just finished serving fresh beverages to some of the passengers, and I remember thinking how strange it was that she appeared oblivious to the loud banging on the restroom door that had occurred just moments prior. She remained completely speechless, and there was something off about the way she looked at me. You know, that weird stare you give someone when you suspect they're on to you for whatever reason. I instantly broke eye contact, and she continued down the aisle to serve drinks to the rest of the passengers. I quickly returned to my seat, having almost completely forgotten about the corpse that had been seated in the corner behind me. I still can't believe I managed to walk right past it without even noticing. I guess I was still a little distracted by the fact that none of the other passengers appeared to have heard that loud banging on the door. Perhaps it wasn't as loud as I remember, and maybe it was just a prank. It was Halloween, after all. At least I had a spooky Halloween tale to share with my young nephews back at home, even if it meant not being able to share the entire truth of what really happened on board that flight. At least until now.