I was startled when I opened the plane after hearing odd sounds coming from the locked cabin above my head. 😯
The purr of the engines, the announcements over the loudspeaker, and the dry air in the cabin all contribute to the feeling of both excitement and familiarity that comes with boarding an aircraft.
We feel as though we are suspended thousands of feet above the earth, overcome by a sense of immensity. We are transported to an almost otherworldly realm by the flight attendants’ gestures, the passengers’ hustle and bustle, and that unceasing feeling of floating, which seems to be a shared norm.
The flight appeared completely normal that day. I was about to close my eyes and let this old habit take over after I had settled up comfortably. Before takeoff, put on your seatbelt, turn off your phone, and read a book.
The flight went smoothly, and most of the passengers were already asleep or lost in their own world.
Then I heard an odd sound. faint at first, then becoming more tenacious. From the cabin just over my head, there was a kind of rubbing sound, followed by faint thuds. The general quiet was ultimately broken by the agitation, and the sound became louder and louder until it filled the room like an unexplained presence.
I was intrigued and a little uneasy, so I had to get up. I didn’t fully know what was waiting for me as I opened the cabin door. What I found chilled me to the bone. 😯
I was met with a ridiculous and terrifying scene as I opened the door. A metal crib, constructed entirely of canvas and metal, was positioned in a corner of the cabin as though it were a component of the aircraft’s interior design.
Inside, a lone infant, bundled in a wool blanket, appeared content, eyes closed, utterly oblivious to the mayhem all around. He had an old wooden toy in his small, clasped fists.
I froze, thinking quickly. Without somebody to keep an eye on him, how could a baby have ended up here? A chill of fear swept through me.
He was most likely the source of the noise I had heard, but how did he get here? Nobody around me appeared concerned. A flight attendant came just in time, but I hurried to the cabin to warn the crew.
With an odd sense of urgency, she embraced the infant and held him close to her. “It’s not what you think,” she said to me in a nearly terrified whisper. However, she shut the door behind her before I could respond, leaving me completely bewildered.
