"Your flight ticket is booked."
As dreadful a statement as it can be for me.
Everytime I de-board the plane I am slightly convinced that my fear of flights has allayed but it comes back with a vehemence when I hear the above statement again. And to add insult to the injury let me confess that i am a frequent flyer.
Inside the aircraft, I find people settling down and there is a usual hustle and bustle around. Kids, sometimes elders too excitedly settle for the window seat. I always ensure to opt for an aisle seat and try my level best to turn a deaf ear to the fearless and fiery factual report of what is happening outside that window. I fail miserably. All I seek is companionable silence.
Then comes a huge crushing wave of utmost anxiety. The moment the pilot makes an announcement that the aircraft is ready to take off. I have a strong urge to hold on tight to the air hostess never letting her go exactly in the same manner the tiny-tots would cling to their parents when dropped to school.
The aircraft moves leisurely like a horse drawn carriage and positions itself at the tarmac, the image of horses pulling a carriage is very vital here. As the aircraft starts picking up speed, my heart beat can be heard by the passengers sitting next to me. When the aircraft starts taking off and starts making all those peculiar sounds, my out of control mind brings back the imagery of horses, only this time the horses are not strong and muscular, they are utterly famished trying beyond their capacity to lift up the aircraft . They are ready to give up anytime and what happens next in my imagination is a sight nobody should ever behold. The sinking of my heart at this time is directly proportionate to the taking off. My eyes are tightly shut and my mind tries to gather all its supernatural powers to help the horses to use all their might. Finally after much mental trauma we are in the air.
I play the word game to distract myself from an imaginary unnatural calamity but all in vain. Still I carry on with it to keep the eyes around me averted. I decide to give my tensed back some respite and get up to walk in the aisle. I get a feeling that i am climbing up a steep mountain , I feel dizzy and quickly get back to my seat much to the amusement of others.
The pilot makes an announcement that the seat belt sign is on again because of turbulence. I immediately sit straight for the plane to flip upside down. Unable to take this torture anymore a thousand promises are made to never ever fly again if i survive. While I am busy with these monologues the plane takes a sudden dip, i can hear murmurs all around- chants in whispers to be precise. My heart is in my mouth, my intestines contract , my brain is fogged, my eyes refuse to open, my hands are clenched, my feet numb and i am ready to pass out. Only if I were knocked out my ordeal would have ended but the torture continues uninterrupted. I dispose off all the plans of being an atheist again and pray with a greater zeal. How else would I get moral support if not from my GOd!! No God or deity is spared of my fervent appeals to help our plane land safely. I try positive self talk, spirituality is brought into play. Detachment card is up for takes. When everything fails all I wish for is a pain-free death.
Seat belt sign is off but before i can sigh a sigh of relief its time to land.. How many deaths can one die in a flight of an hour and a half? I look at my now stone cold hands and make another promise never to wear any jewelry while on board. My daughter in law could have inherited these knick knacks! I feel I should share my social media passwords with someone so as to enable him/her to break the news of my untimely death to my Twitter friends. For a while I wonder if they would miss me, write good things about me. I smile a cheerlessly.
The aircraft now literally lunges from air towards ground, it makes a scary sound again, heard someone saying, breaks are being applied , wheels are being opened...blah blah . Some are excitedly looking out of the window, such brave fellows !!!. The time between the announcement to land and actual landing is at least ten times more than announced. It lands with a thud and the brave souls at once remove their seat belts but my mind is racing a hundred times faster than the aircraft. The fear of breaks failing at this juncture and the plane barging right into the airport terminal three is put to rest immediately with the plane coming to a standstill FINALLY.
