Fear of Flying

Steve was always the calm rational one when it came to flying. He would calmly read a magazine whilst his wife Alice nervously wringed her hands and looked around the departures lounge. However this time was different.

They were waiting to board their flight from Vancouver to Amsterdam and there was something that was just making Steve nervous. It started that morning he had said goodbye to his brother, who - for some reason, uncharacteristically - had told him that he had always loved and respected him. His brother was the silent type, not really one for words or emotion so this caught him off guard.

Then, two burned out cars on the side of the road on the way to the airport. Normally he would consider this to be simple coincidence, results of careless driving or engine burnout. But there was something ominous about them this time that he couldn't shake off.

Steve looked up from his magazine and observed the dark clouds on the horizon of this beautiful sunny day. Although he had been reading the magazine in front of him, he could not remember what he had read - he was distracted by these... signs.

The stewardesses called their seats for boarding and they made their way down the elevated tunnel and into the plane. Steve loaded their carry-on bags into the compartment above and closed the lid - only it wasn't closing properly. It kept springing back up. Eventually he slammed it down and it held, but not without catching the attention of other passengers. Sheepishly he sat down in his seat.

They waited and after 20 minutes the plane started to role. During that time something had caught Steve's eye whilst he was gazing around the cabin. One of the light fixtures 2 seats in front had been installed the wrong way round. This was obvious as the light for the seat-belts and 'no smoking' were facing towards the cockpit and not towards the rear where passengers could observe them. It was such an obvious, careless error. So obvious in fact that it caused Steve to wonder if there were any other parts of the plane fitted incorrectly.

As Steve was wondering this, the plane began to make a bumping and scratching noise below as it rolled across the tarmac. He became increasingly nervous and began to sweat. No-one else seemed to notice as the air stewardesses made strange glances at each other. So they heard the noises too - and they didn't seem natural. It was at this point Alice turned and noticed the expression on his face.
"You're not nervous?" she said, almost as if to reassure herself.
"I am, something doesn't feel right about this plane." he replied.
"Oh no, why did you tell me that!" she wailed.

Steve glanced out of the window, the fear was building up beneath his cool exterior. He wondered what would happen if he stood up and demanded they stop the plane and be let off. He wondered if other passengers would follow or just stare at him like a lunatic. He tried to visualise it in his mind.
"What if I'm right?" He thought, "This is my last chance to save us. I'd be a hero. But if it was just nerves I'd be a disruptive, overreacting embarrassment at best". And at this thought he decided he'd simply trust in statistics and the pilots ability. They wouldn't take off if that noise meant anything - they check these planes before they leave.

The plane was now in position and began to charge down the runway. Steve would normally look out of the window at this point and watch the ground disappear and the surroundings get smaller but instead he looked forward and closed his eyes, just as Alice always did. There was another large, grinding bang and then, a few seconds later, the plane left the ground.

Steve opened his eyes. The plane was in the air, still climbing, then suddenly rolling to the side, and the front end dipped down. Steve felt his heart sink into his stomach. He clutched Alice's hand as they felt and heard the loud crunch of steel and concrete. The last thing he saw was a huge fireball making it's way, like a flash, up the cabin.