Chloe Carter flipped open her cell phone and looked at the dimly-lit screen. It read: "New Message from: Trish. 12:31 8/21/03." Just as her thumb hit the "OK" button, the flight attendant tapped her on the shoulder.
"Ma'am? I'm going to have to ask you to turn your phone off."
"Oh, sorry," Chloe mumbled as she unsnapped her purse and slipped the phone in.
"Thanks." Chloe put her hands in her lap and looked out the window. The sea was covered by clouds, beautiful and never ending.
From a voice unseen, came: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have now passed over the coast of the United Kingdom, and we will be landing in approximately fifteen minutes."
She thought of home. Chloe had never been homesick, but she had never been out of the country, either. It was a great experience for her. Meet new people; try new things. And, oh, the nightlife!
Her daydreams were by her worrisome friend, Lucy Daramour.
"Do you think he's okay? I mean, he's never been in a cage before. What if he gets spooked? What if he pees all over-"
"Lucy! Foofy will be fine. It's just a dog, and nothing is going to happen to him."
"I know, I know, but I just can't imagine how scared he must be, down there... alone... in the cold, dark-"
She was interrupted mid-sentece by strong turbulence. But it wasn't just turbulence. It was something worse. The plane shook lightly at first, but then it shook harder. The seatbelt light turned on.
"Oh, shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit," Lucy quickly said as she buckled her seatbelt. The plane tilted to the left, and the nose went down. Smoke poured out of the right wing next to Chloe's seat, and that wasn't helping much. The pilot was shouting something over the intercom, but it was inaudible over the panic of the passengers.
And then there was the ground. The impact. It wasn't as bad as Chloe had anticipated, but it hurt. How they got out safe, Chloe and Lucy will never know. All Chloe can remember is thinking, "My God, is he dreamy."
