Crumbs From the Corner: Adventures in Woolgathering

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

First, and Last Time (3)



"Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity."
-R. I. Fitzhenry

The pilot had offered an explanation for the alteration of our plans. To anyone awake and paying the slightest bit of attention, the reason was flimsy at best; at worst, we were deep in the middle of an inexplicable mystery.
"We are unable to land due to thick fog," he chirped, and fell silent for the next five hundred miles.
We three looked at one another; our friend, with the image of Calcutta's cars and trees burned into her mind, did not know what to say. Nor, as it turned out, did Spouse's family, who had been waiting patiently and had noted the brilliant stars in a clear sky.
I looked all about the plane for a single disconcerted soul who might be disputing the notion of fog, but all complaints were regarding an unexpected visit to Hyderabad.
The Fog Effect: blindly accepting without question a scenario which, with a little rumination, would soon be found to be an impossible one.

4 comments:

Pappy said...

I'm caught up now you can continue the story. You are reminding me that I was not wrong in eliminating flying (commercially) from my options for travel some years ago. Passengers rarely know the real story. Perhaps the pilot was asleep and over shot Calcutta. Little to much Gin in the Pilot's Lounge prior to take off. Pappy

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

Texican, no, we don't always know what's really happening, but then I'd prefer they didn't give us an obviously nonsense excuse. Anyone looking out the window would know there was no fog.
I think your theory might be right ;)

Charlie said...

Wouldn't you think an instrument landing would suffice in any fog? Very strange indeed.

Phyllis Hunt McGowan said...

Charlie, it's nice to see you coming by here! I do think the whole thing was very strange, not least because there was no fog but based on how long it took them to get us going again... none of it made sense, and it couldn't just have been bad management. Something else was up, certainly.

Please look around, explore my writing, leave a crumb:
I welcome comments and thoughts.