Flying High

The pilot’s voice announced to the passengers that the plane would be landing soon and for everyone to fasten their seat belts. Rhonda could not believe the plane was already landing. She had been so nervous about her first time on an airplane. She was sure the trip would drag by, but she had loved flying, and the trip had gone so much quicker than she had expected. Her parents had been nervous, too. They had wanted Rhonda to have a chance to spend part of her summer with her grandparents, but they had been worried about putting her on a plane by herself. It had taken a lot of discussions to convince them to let her go, but eventually they had agreed. In just a few minutes, she would be with her grandparents, and she could tell them all about her first plane trip. She couldn’t wait.

Rhonda looked out the window, and all of a sudden, she saw smoke coming from the side of the plane. Emergency signs began to flash, and the pilot’s voice came across again, this time explaining to the passengers that they were having problems with one of the engines but that he would get them all safely on the ground. Rhonda looked around the plane and noticed several people looked worried. They were so close to landing, but she wondered if any of the other passengers had looked out their windows and seen the smoke. Feeling more alone than she ever had, Rhonda closed her eyes tightly and began picturing her family and thinking about how much she loved them. The wheels making contact with the pavement startled her, and she opened her eyes to find they were safely on the ground. The plane eased to a stop, and the sign came on that everyone could safely remove their seat belts and stand up. All the passengers erupted in cheers for the crew that had brought them all safely to the ground.

Now that it was over, Rhonda was no longer afraid. Instead, she was thinking about how she would tell the story to her grandparents and how exciting her first plane flight had been. She also decided that when she called her parents, she wouldn’t mention any of what had just happened. After all, she still had a return ticket that she wanted to use!