This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

It was around midnight
and we had  settled down.
satiated with the tripe that passes off as haute cuisine;
at a cruising altitude hundreds of  miles above terra firma any food could be described as haute cuisine
even a congealed bit of meat  heated cursorily in a microwave.

The air hostesses cleared up the dinner service,
the last passenger downed his anxiety in the last drop of indifferent wine
and the cabin was darkened for a few hours of peaceful rest.

I selected the latest offering on my small little in-flight entertainment screen,
my ears already drowning in a stereophonic stream of hi fi music.
When suddenly the plane shook slightly,
At first almost imperceptibly.
Then I heard a noise, a scary sound
And the “fasten seat belt” sign lit up.
The juddering continued more violently now,
With the seams of the plane ready to rip.
The odd passenger prowling about grabbed the nearest seat to steady himself.
And the voice over the PA system crackled to life
Apologising for the unexpected turbulence.
My heart sank as did that of so many others.
I took a deep breath , closed my eyes, said a prayer, swallowed my fear,
quietened unwelcome thoughts that spun around my fear gripped head.
The contents of my stomach heaved and lurched as the plane  braved on ahead.
It seemed an age as we were tossed about
Like a leaf in a violent storm
And I was gripped by fear and dread.
And then
Just as it started it stopped.
And all was calm instead.
I looked around and found
that I was
Keeping my fingers crossed
As were a hundred others.