The disaster 1000 words Helen E

“It’s a disaster!” Sophie wailed. She was usually an attractive child – or tween – but not when her face was screwed up like this “Why can’t we go to Greece or Spain like everyone else? “

“Your parents are kindly taking us to the Isle of Wight.” Said her Gran, firmly

“It’s not fair; all my friends are flying to exotic holidays. I’ll be the only one without a suntan! It just rains on the Isle of Wight.”

“If you are going to make a fuss like this you should know the whole story. Then you’ll think twice. You’re going to listen” “

Sophie knew better than to protest when her Gran was in this mood. She closed her mouth in a sulky expression.

“This happened on the day your mother, my Deidre, married your father Paul in Birmingham on a blindingly sunny morning. I cried when Deidre entered the church looking so young and beautiful as my husband walked her down the aisle to her beloved bridegroom. Everyone was moved and spent the reception wishing the newlyweds a long and happy marriage. It seemed nothing could go wrong. People cheered them off when they left to catch a flight to their honeymoon in Malaga. Neither of them had flown before but they were pleasantly surprised when they boarded the plane. It was quite cosy with only about 80 passengers although perhaps it wasn’t as new as they had expected. They were excited and nervous partly about flying but partly about being just married. They stood at the entrance of a bright future, hoping their marriage would be as trouble-free as people had wished.

“The take-off was exhilarating and the plane seemed to be climbing smoothly. The four air stewards bustled about getting a meal ready. Deidre and Paul looked around at the passengers, some bored, some apprehensive, but all looking forward to a holiday in Malaga. Then suddenly came a bang and a rush of air and the door to the cockpit burst half off its hinges. Loose objects flew around the cabin and the plane began to dive rapidly. Deidre was too frightened to scream and Paul held her hand tightly. They could hardly hear the attendant over the cries of the other passengers but eventually realised he was instructing them to take up the crash position as the plane was going to make an emergency landing. Apparently one of the windows in the cockpit had blown out violently depressurising the plane and the pilot needed to descend quickly. That’s all they were told. The flight attendant assured them that everything was under control despite the unexpected problems. The passengers became eerily quiet apart from a few murmured prayers. “

“Were mummy and daddy okay?” Asked Sophie interested despite herself.

“Well you’re here now, so what do you think? Anyway in the cockpit, out of view of the passengers an even more dramatic situation was unfolding. When the window had failed the captain, who had loosened his seatbelt after a successful take-off, had been half sucked out of the window. His legs caught on the flight controls and a steward standing behind him was able to grab the captain by his belt so he was half in and half out of the cockpit. The damaged cabin door had pushed against the control panel pushing on the throttle and disengaging the autopilot so the plane started to dive rapidly. Luckily the flight attendants managed to clear the debris and the co-pilot was able to level out the plane and reduce airspeed. The doughty steward managed to hang on to the captains’s legs until a fresher attendant took over the exhausting job. They were sure the captain must be dead but the co-pilot told them to hang on for dear life as if the body was free it might be blown into the wing. Traffic control was difficult to hear over the rushing wind but they eventually managed to sort out clearance for an emergency landing at Southampton.

The landing was smoother than anyone had thought possible. The relieved passengers clapped as the plane rolled to a halt. The usual airline steps were wheeled up and when the passengers were on firm ground they found out the full details of the emergency. An ambulance was standing by to pick up what everyone thought was a body but to their relief it was found that the captain had somehow survived with broken bones yes, shock yes, and frostbite but definitely very much alive.. All the passengers began to discuss the situation animatedly. Everyone felt they had a lucky escape thanks to the co-pilot and hoped the captain would make a full recovery.”

“Surely he never flew again.”

“Actually he did four months later! It was in all the papers but don’t interrupt.

“The airline put everybody up in a hotel with some people deciding to take a flight back to Birmingham the next day and get a new flight to Malaga. Paul and Deidre couldn’t believe their ears. There was no way they were getting back into another plane. They trusted in getting compensation for their holiday in Malaga and decided the weather was good enough in the nearby Isle of Wight. They popped into a tourist office the next day and caught a ferry to the Island where they spent a blissful honeymoon after their frightening adventure. What did it matter where they spent their honeymoon, they thought, rather sweetly, as long as they had each other. They came back by train at the end of the week and your mother vowed never to get on another plane.

“That is the reason why your mother has never flown on any holiday, nor you either. Your parents only have fond memories of the Island and like to take you there. After all, you were born nine months after the honeymoon so that’s where you were probably conceived.

“Eew!” said Sophie. “Too much information!”