On My Way to Neverland

It was 22nd March 2018. I was traveling to London from Mumbai with my friend Ravana. We completed our security check and boarded the flight.

The aircraft was packed. The overhead compartments were already full.The passengers crowded the aisle, clutching their baggage with no urgency to reach their seats. The air felt thick with inconvenience.

I was about to call a flight attendant when, suddenly, a middle-aged woman stormed toward me,she was the flight attendant.

She was draped in a sari in the traditional Maharashtra Navari style. Her hair was tied in a neat bun adorned with a jasmine garland. Red-green bangles lined her wrists, and a golden nath framed her face. With her intricate attire, she looked less like cabin crew and more like a bride.

Without hesitation, she pointed to a corner and instructed me to stand there for the rest of the journey.

'All seats are full',she said sharply. 'You may get one after the first stop.'

I froze. This was a non-stop flight.

Before I could protest, my friend quietly pulled me aside and signaled me to stay calm.

As I stood there, I noticed something even more unsettling;Five or six people squeezed into seats meant for three. The plane roared to life, louder than expected, as if the engine itself were under strain. It began to ascend, shuddering violently. The cabin tilted slightly, the overhead bins creaked, and the air pressure felt unbearable.

My heart pounded. My breath grew shallow.

My friend, surprisingly composed, pointed to a belt hanging from the wall and asked me to fasten it. I stared at him in disbelief. This was not how I had imagined my first international flight,something I had looked forward to for months.

Eventually, the aircraft stabilized. The seatbelt signs dimmed. I exhaled.

But the calm lasted only a moment.

From the back of the plane, a man stood up,from the floor and began selling bananas.

I blinked, trying to make sense of it. It looked exactly like a scene from a Mumbai local train. But this was an international flight.

I turned to my friend, but he was fast asleep.

Before I could process it, chaos erupted again. A young woman pulled out a basket from the overhead compartment and began selling fish and its pungent smell spreading instantly. A heated argument broke out between her and the banana seller. Soon, another man joined in, threatening to throw the basket out of the window.

To my horror, he almost succeeded.

He forced the window open,inside the airplane!

The flight attendant rushed over, warning him not to open it because it was cloudy outside.

Cloudy?

Before I could comprehend the absurdity, misty clouds began drifting into the cabin,followed by rain.

People calmly opened umbrellas.

I stood there, drenched, frozen in disbelief.

Still, my friend slept on.

Time stretched. My legs ached from standing. Then came an announcement from the co-pilot:

An emergency landing on water.

Passengers were instructed to assume the brace position and line up in the aisle. The words hit me like a thunderclap. My body stiffened. My mind refused to accept what was happening.

Yet, everyone else remained strangely calm,almost indifferent, as if they had long made peace with death.

Passengers began putting on life vests. I glanced out of a nearby window and saw the ocean rushing toward us.

'Am I the only one afraid?',I whispered to myself.

I closed my eyes and prayed.

The sirens blared. Lights flashed. My senses blurred into a dizzying haze of fear and noise.

And then,strangely,the flight attendant began collecting money.

Confused, I learned that this flight operated on a post-payment basis, and passengers were settling their dues mid-crisis.

A loud bang echoed. Gasps filled the cabin while the turbulence intensified.

Then, within moments, the captain skillfully glided the damaged aircraft onto the water. It landed smoothly. Rescue boats rushed toward us. Passengers, now wearing life jackets, gathered on the wings as ferries and coastguard vessels closed in.

My friend finally woke up.

We rushed toward the emergency exit,but before we could reach it, the doors were shut again.

The crew began preparing for takeoff.

At that point, something inside me shifted. I had survived the unimaginable. Nothing made sense anymore. I simply felt relieved to be alive.

With half the plane now empty, I found a seat and collapsed into it, exhausted.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I was alone.

The plane was silent. My friend was gone. The crew had vanished. The doors were open.

I stepped outside.

What I saw took my breath away.

The sky stretched like a vast dome of soft white clouds. Before me lay a lush green meadow, untouched and serene. A quiet lake mirrored the sky, reflecting the silhouettes of graceful trees. Wildflowers danced in the breeze, painting the landscape with color and life.

Everything felt, peaceful.

I walked slowly through the meadow until I reached a gate.

It read:'Welcome to Neverland'

A strange calm washed over me,deep, quiet, and absolute.