The plane flew through the wispy clouds with ease, the passengers happy with their thoughts of what awaited them at the end of their long haul flight. They chatted and joked, the atmosphere friendly and relaxed.

He sat two rows to the back, the dark reddish-brown hair hanging like wavy curtains, and the nearly green eyes intent on the tattered novel he was reading. An untouched hand slid over his forehead and brushed some stray locks of hair behind his ears, his eyes glancing absent-mindedly to the small window, they moved back to the book and he sighed. The flight was boring, the book worse.

Thousands of miles away, in a small village estate, sitting clapping a dog while flicking through a newspaper was she. Thinking of him constantly, she pictured him in her mind and her heart ached. She thought of what might have been, what could have been and her heart ached in protest. There was only so much emotional pain she could take. A silent tear escaped her eye and she worried about him. The newspaper unread, only showing headlines which her mind concocted to feed her imagination.

The plane gave a mild rumble; he looked up and cautiously at the wing. The book cast aside and his eyes worried. He could feel her fear, even over the great distance, which separated them. His gaze focussed on the wing he could see and he prayed that her worries would not be his destiny.

The girl stared into the mirror, the tears falling rapidly; she yearned for him to be near her. She worried and knew what was about to happen. She felt the physical pain, as well as the emotional pain, the pain of what could have been but never was between them. The look in his eyes, her mind saw him working back at home, before he left. Laughing and joking with her, would they ever do that again? Was his six-month departure destined to last a lifetime?

The engines choked and coughed. His fingers gripped the seat and his eyes burned through the window. Thick smoke began to pour from the engine; the pilot made his safety announcement and informed the passengers that they were experiencing difficulties. The seat belt sign flashed above his head and hurriedly he slammed it shut. His heart pounding.

In her mind she heard the roar of the engine splutter and die away. She could picture him, gripped by fear. She felt her heart tear itself apart. The tears burned her face and her mind wanted to explode with grief. What they never had was never to be. She felt torn from her world, her body and mind torn in emotional misery.

Inside the aircraft the crew instructed the passengers to put on their lifejackets and to stay calm. Stay calm? He was anywhere from calm. His mind throbbed, she flashed before his eyes. The picture painful to him, she was bent over a sink, throwing up, sobs racking her body and her eyes red raw from endless crying.

The plane began to plummet, sweat beaded on his forehead, a lump forming in his throat. Not for himself or the plane full of people but for the pitiful image in his mind. She was now collapsed on the floor, curled up and sobbing violently. A tear ran down his cheek.

The plane tore down and crashed suddenly, the impact sending the plane into the ball of flames. He forced his way to an exit, and in her mind she saw that he collapsed seconds before reaching his escape. His last image was her, blade in hand, tearing down her wrist. She cried as she slashed and begged for an end to her misery, it came slowly, the pain unbearable, yet weakening her so she could do no more harm to herself. In her mind she saw the flames lick at his still alive body and she screamed in pain.

Back to Short Stories 1999-2001 Listing