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 flight was full with no available space in the overhead baggage compartments which created a crowded and slightly inconvenient experience for us. However the passengers stood relaxed with their baggage in the passage area with no intention to get to their seats.

I was about to call the flight attendant for help, but before I could do that, a middle-aged lady came yelling at me, who was the flight attendant. She was draped in a sari, in the typical Maharashtra Navari style, her hair was styled in a closed bun and adorned with jasmine garland. She wore elaborate jewelry with red-green bangles and a golden nath (nose pin). Her traditional attire embellished with intricate work made her look like a bride. She asked me to stand at one corner and continue the journey, standing, as all the seats were already full. She informed me that there would be enough vacant seats after the first stop!

Shocked! I was about to scream, but my friend dragged me to the corner and asked me to be quiet. We had boarded a non-stop flight, and I could hardly understand what she meant.

In front of me, I saw around 5-6 people squeezed in seats for three. After some time, the flight started making a huge sound as if the engine would burst. The flight slowly started to ascend with a lot of turbulence, it almost tilted to one side, the cabin pressure seemed to be unbearable, the wingtips waggled and the overhead bins creaked. I was numb, my heart was beating fast and my breath became shallow. My friend asked me to tie the belt hanging from the wall where I leaned. I looked at him in dismay. I was clueless. I had never imagined my first international flight to be like this for which I had been excited for months. Finally, the plane reached a stable cruising and the seat belt signs which were illuminated were turned off.

I felt a sigh of relief, but just then someone from the back who seemed to be sitting on the ground stood up and started selling bananas inside the plane! If you have ever traveled on local trains in Mumbai, you would know the scene, but this is supposed to be an international flight. I was about to ask my friend, who was a frequent flier, but he seemed to be fast asleep. I stood in the corner, speechless, waiting to see what would happen next. It did not take long until a huge fight broke out between the banana seller and another young lady. She took out a smelly basket from the cabinet and started displaying different varieties of fish to sell at the same time. To add to the confusion, another middle-aged man joined the duel, and he threatened to throw the fish basket outside the window and almost opened half of the glass pane. The flight attendant lady rushed and warned them not to open the window as it was cloudy outside.

The scene sent an electrifying jolt through my body and I was speechless. Is it even possible to open a window inside an airplane? What was going on was beyond comprehension. But what happened next was even more shocking. As the window was half opened, some clouds got inside, and it started raining. People who had umbrellas made use of those, but I got drenched. However, nothing affected my sleepy friend.

By then I was feeling a dull ache in my legs standing for an hour when an announcement was finally made by the copilot. An emergency landing on the sea was reported. Passengers were instructed to assume a brace position and align in the passageway one after the other following safety protocols. The astonishing news hit me like a thunderclap, leaving me wide-eyed. I stood in a speechless stupor still trying to gasp the matter in astonishment.

But others seemed to be pretty ok with the condition as if they had conquered the fear of death.

Those who were seated took out the life vests and started wearing those. I looked out of the windowpane of the front seat and realized the plane was literally falling into a sea."Am I the only mortal being in this plane?" I muttered to myself. I closed my eyes and started to pray, as my life going to end abruptly. I succumbed to fear and anxiety; the cacophony of sirens, and flashing lights created a sensory overload that made me feel dizzy. On the other hand, the fellow passengers were calm and placid.

Meanwhile, I saw the flight attendant was collecting money a minute later. Initially, I did not understand, but later someone explained to me that there was some post-payment option for this flight, and hence some of them were making the payment.

I heard a bang followed by a few gasps and there was a lot of turbulence. Within about two minutes, the captain managed to glide the crippled jetliner to a smooth touchdown in the water, and close to rescuing boats that rushed to take passengers to safety. Passengers wearing life jackets soon appeared on the wings, and ferries, fire-fighters in rubber rafts, and coastguard vessels converged on the scene. My friend was awake by then and we struggled to reach the emergency gate but before we could do anything the door was closed, and the crew members were preparing for a takeoff.

By now I was ready to face anything, I almost survived a crash but was miraculously saved and was sitting safe and sound inside the airplane, where the passengers managed to open windowpanes and sold bananas inside! I had given up by now and was happy to be alive. By then almost half of the plane was empty, so I managed to get a seat. Tired and exhausted, I sank my head into my hands.

After some time, I opened my eyes.

I found myself stranded alone in the plane. I could not find my friend as well! Maybe I was asleep. I did not even realize when we reached our destination as there was no commotion during landing and the crew members left without waking me up. I took my bag and walked towards the door which was already open.

What I saw outside was breathtaking. The sky was punched with white clouds which stretched like a dome. A lush green meadow looked like a hideaway of the lost heaven. A serene lake mirrored the surrounding splendor, reflecting the sky and the silhouette of graceful trees. Wildflowers swayed in the gentle breeze, adding pops of color to the canvas of nature. The landscape invited a sense of tranquility, for one to pause and appreciate the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world.

I kept walking through the meadow until I reached the airport gate, but it read "Welcome to Neverland"! A strange sense of inner peace and harmony filled my heart.