Saturday, November 14, 2009

Catherine P.'s Memoir

Airport Adventure

I wondered why they placed a huge fountain spitting water in every direction.  Well, it certainly is entertaining, I thought.  Outside airplanes sat, longing to return to the skies.  The fountain changed its pattern and my eyes darted trying to follow.  What could be better than this?  I wondered.  I get to fly home to Mommy, Daddy, and Sparkles!  But later my optimistic attitude might change… and possibly even reverse. 

“Come on!”  I squealed as we, my sister Carolynn, the flight attendant who watched us, and I, trotted into a long, amazing tunnel, filled with music and a rainbow of lights like waves in the ocean under a setting sun.  As I sadly stepped out of the tunnel, I saw something I never expected at an airport.  I stared wide-eyed at a bright-red monorail!  “We get to go in that!?” I exclaimed.  The doors slid open and closed and as I stood holding a bar, the train lunged forward and I plunged into near darkness.  Carolynn and I then entered an unaccompanied minor’s room. 

About an hour later, I heard the whir of engines and fell back.  Outside the ground and airport slowly shrunk and vanished: I was flying!  Soon the clouds lowered and gathered to create an endless floor of white.  Suddenly an unpleasant feeling came over me.  I slowly turned left and whispered quietly to the man next to me, “I need to go to the bathroom.  Can you let me out?”  He shuffled back for me and I slowly, unsurely walked to the back of the plane, my face now pink.  There sat a large red handle on the door in front of me.  I pushed trying to turn it, too embarrassed to connect a large door, bright-red handle, and the back of the plane.  Luckily I couldn’t turn the handle.  I faced right and… There were the bathrooms!

As I returned to my seat, Carolynn whispered with an evil smirk, “You almost opened the emergency exit.”  

“I didn’t see the other doors,” I whined, red faced.  I didn’t know, I didn’t know, I thought.  I stared out the window.  Tears nudged my eyelids.  “Don’t cry.  Don’t let the man see you cry,” I mouthed.  “I want to go back to the airport.  I liked it so much better.”  My mind filled with these thoughts.  I couldn’t wait for home and be hugging Mom and away from wherever I was.

I then realized that wishing couldn’t make it better.  I convinced myself that I had an amazing day and not to let one almost mistake ruin it.  To this day, whenever one bad thing happens, I don’t let it ruin my whole day.

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