Timed Prompt

   

The First Man

     It was Christmas Eve. Fog stuck to the Tarmac at Lindbergh Field. Two men approached the plane.

     "I can't believe it's Christmas Eve," the first man said.

     The second man shrugged slightly. "Hey, if I'm getting paid for this I could care less if it's Christmas Eve," he said.

     The wind started howling violently outside as the two men reached their seats on the plane. The sky grew dark as the second man stared out the window during the flight attendant's plane safety speech. 

     The lights turned off in the cabin as the "fasten seat belt" sign switched on. The second man sighed deeply and folded his hands across his lap. "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep," he said to the first man who was nervously fidgeting in his seat.

     The second man sighed deeply a second time and closed his eyes. The first man's eyes darted anxiously around the cabin. I can't believe I'm missing Christmas. He kept thinking to himself. This would be the first year he would spend the day without his family. It's a holiday! Why did they have to send me on a business trip on a holiday? And Christmas of all holidays! 

     Suddenly, the plane jolted in the air, interrupting the first man's thoughts. The cabin lights flickered on as the second man bolted upright, awakening from his slumber with wide eyes.

     "What is going on?" The second man asked the first man. The first man glanced at him with a look of terror. This can't be happening. This really can't be happening. 

     The flight attendants rushed down the aisles of the cabin towards the front of the plane as the pilot made an announcement, "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," he spoke calmly, "we are experiencing a bit of turbulence. Please remain seated and keep your seat belts fastened." 

     The "fasten seat belt" sign flashed over and over as the plane was continually thrust violently through the sky. There was no mistaking the look of pure terror on the first man's face as the yellow oxygen masks fell from the ceiling as the plane fell down, down, down towards the dark and uninviting ocean below.

PS: After reading The Plot Sickens, my writing seems to parallel the author's observations of a negative resolution to the story, ending somewhat violently. She refers to students in her college class as writing pieces that do not have the stereotypical "happy ending" that you might expect out of students. Most have seemed to reflect a negative and violent ending, which my story paralleled.