An Unwanted Journey
Noisily, the boys from Evergreen Public School piled into the first class aeroplane, pushing past countless bemused adults in expensive business suits to get to the back. Now that they were off school grounds, the normal etiquette no longer applied, and so they chatted away like normal schoolchildren, until Mrs Dyle, her face folded into a tight frown, boarded the plane. All of them fell silent as her icy gaze fell upon the most talkative pupil.
"Eric! Be quiet at once!" she snarled, and the previously hysterical boy became docile and silent, looking down at his polished leather shoes in shame.
The others sighed, and sat down at their designated places. One of these was Simon Jones, a shy, 12 year old boy with a fringe of brown hair and sky blue eyes that were normally full of curiosity, but right now were filled with anxiety.
The truth was; he wasn't feeling too well. The idea of spending two weeks abroad with his cohort of self-absorbed, jeering peers was not one that excited him. Not one bit, he muttered under his breath. Also, no-one seemed to like him. That seemed like a petty thing to point out, he thought, but it was true; he always ended up being left to his own devices, as there never seemed to be anyone who wanted to talk to him. He'd always thought it was because his parents weren't as rich as any of theirs, and while that was true, he wondered whether that was the sole cause...
Simon's never-ending stream of thoughts were abruptly ended as a stranger sat next to him. A girl, he almost gasped to himself. He couldn't help staring; it was rare to see one outside of his all-boys school. She had long-flowing brown hair and a curiously round face, embedded with golden brown eyes and a dazzling smile.
"Hello there" she said, wondering why this boy was staring at her so quizzically
"oh, er, hello" he replied. His social skills, he would readily admit if given the chance, weren't anything to write home about.
"I'm Lucy"
"My name is Simon. Pleased to meet you" he held out his hand for a handshake.
With a raised eyebrow, she shook his hand and then put in some earphones, her eyes glazing over.
He smiled. He could only imagine the enraged reaction of Mrs Dyle if one of his peers had brought any modern technology with them. But he didn't need to; she'd given Sam an earful just before they got to the airport; she'd seen him showing his mp3 player to the other members of the choir.
"Look, it's the pilot" said Lucy, pointing towards the front of the aisle.
Everyone became quiet as the man started speaking. He was wearing a black uniform, with brass buttons on his shoulders and golden cufflinks. He was an ageing man, but it was hard to tell with his black cap covering the top of his head. When he spoke, everyone listened, and Simon basked in the authority and calm aura that accompanied his voice. Suddenly, he wasn't so scared of flying on this plane.
He said something just out of earshot, and everyone laughed.
"But I'm afraid that'll be all from me, folks." he smiled.
"Oh come on, Captain Jones, just tell them" said one of the air hostesses.
"No, there's really no need" he said sheepishly.
"If you don't, I will" she said.
"Oh, very well" he sighed. He turned to them. "As you know, I've been flying this plane for over 30 years, but now its time to say goodbye to the old thing. Flying has been the love of my life, but alas, all things come to an end. And so, this is the last flight of my career, before I retire and go and live somewhere fun like the Bahamas"
At first, no-one knew what to say, touched by his electric personality, but suddenly, someone clapped. And soon enough, everyone was clapping. Simon looked upon the man in awe. He'd been piloting this plane his whole life; he'd become a master of his craft, risking his life every time he took off from the ground, and now it was time to give him a final send off. He always was a pushover for a soppy hero story, he thought. Simon caught the pilot's eye, and for a second there was a brief acknowledgement, and he was star struck. He knew that he himself wanted to become a pilot one day, and get all this respect and applause and travel around the world in a trusty plane, leading a life of adventure. Simon saluted him, and he almost fainted when the pilot saluted back, laughing.
Perhaps this trip wouldn't be so bad after all?
As the pilot went back to the cockpit, they took off, the wheels lifting off of the runway and launching them high into the air, shooting them into the sky. Simon looked out of the misty window and imagined all the people they were flying over right now, and the lives they were leading...