“Excuse me Miss but we need to get everyone out of the plane.” One of the cabin cru explained.
“No, what? … Do you just expect me to leave him? I can’t do that!”
“Well, I can’t force you, but I can’t jeopardise the safety of others in the time that I could hopelessly persuade you to come!” The lady groaned between the coughing, “everybody out of the exits as fast as you can the plane is likely to explode. If you see a child or elderly member that may need help please do help them. Come on get out!”
It was just everybody for their selves; everybody pushing, shoving- until they all became wedged at the door.
“Come on! Just get in a line- we need to get out! Hurry!” shrieks came from the back of the plane.
The flames were slowly feeding on the chairs and interior – gradually reaching closer and closer towards the front. People continued to hold up the queue, by searching for belongings, bags, jewellery and pieces of clothing. One woman was screaming and frantically searching for her child,
“Elizabeth, Elizabeth, its mummy… come on baby we need to go quickly!”
She never got out! The aeroplane exploded, taking with it, up in flames, over 150 men and women along with around 80 children. Gone! Perished into ash. Children who had all their lives to live just burnt to death, their cries played through the heads of the survivors. Looking around through the grey clouds all they could see was rocky land, cold scenes and friendless land. An icy quilt covered the rough edge, making it hard to walk on and for any vegetation to grow for miles. No animals were to be seen anywhere. The air felt thin and the atmosphere was bitter. People continued to cry and scream because of loved ones lost in the blaze. People perched around the roaring plane for warmth, cuddling to share body heat.
“Now what do we do? We have no shelter, no clothes and no means of transport? I can’t see anyone or anything in the distance and so doubt there is much food!” A man exclaimed in anger, “we are all going to die!”
“Do you mind? I have a five-year-old daughter here and with you talking like that, I’m finding it harder to keep her calm! Just sit down and shut up, that way you will do us all a favour!” the women bellowed in her strong Scottish accent. “ We have to work together – I understand that we have all lost people in this, I lost my husband, my daughters dad, but we have to keep the fire going because it is the only warmth that we have at this time. So find what ever you can and chuck it on. Some need to go out searching for food and clean water, we have to be optimistic!”
She clutched the 5-year-old girl’s hand and practically dragged her off into the weary surroundings.
“Who’s coming?” She questioned with around 5 people following in her steps.
They climbed up and down rocks until they decided to split up.
“Come on, all those people back there are relying on us they need us to bring back something – all the food has gone up in smoke and we have nothing! How do you think we are going to survive with nothing? It’s simple… we won’t! Split up and search!” She ordered them with her breath glistening in the early setting sun that painted the sky a shade of pink, with its light crawling through the misty ambience.
They went in twos with the mother and her daughter together. They lifted up rocks and tried to break through the ground, desperately searching for life, anything!
“Mummy, can I please go and see those rocks over there please?” The red haired little girl pleaded with her mum pointing down the slope.
“Yes sweetie, but please don’t go too far!” her mum warned.
Off she plodded, fascinated by the different colours of the rocks and the smooth texture they possessed. Until she saw in the distance a dark shadow, so stumbling she approached it.
“Hello.” A croaky voice whispered to her, from a person clothed in dark cloth who stumbled towards her, she froze! “No don’t be frightened, come with me, I have lots of stones that sparkle and I have sweeties too! Do you like sweeties?”
The girl nodded and took the strangers hand. They walked in a direction that was away from the girl’s mother and from the crashed plane. They walked on and on until the tiny girl’s legs ached. She took a gasp as she stared up.
“This is where I live! My name is Mr Parker, but you can call me Alfred if you wish. We can be friends ok? And you will have your own room upstairs that is pink! Do you like pink?”
She nodded.
“Don’t be scared to talk to me because we are friends now. Aren’t we? Friends share their sweets and you want some of my sweets don’t you?”
“Yes please Alfred!” she whispered to him between the howling of the wind.
“Come on then, let’s go inside… Jessica? It is getting a bit cold out here.” He told her.
“That isn’t my name?” she muttered.
“I’m your …… daaa… I mean friend, of course I would know your name!” he explained clutching her tiny hand.
They slowly walked inside and as she gazed around she could see everything was clean – everything had a place and was kept in it. Jessica slowly followed Alfred up the stairs.
“This is your room! Do you like it? I painted it pink for when I have a visitor, there are a few teddies over there and outside there is a sand pit but it is a bit cold to be going out there! I will light a fire and we can sit in front of it! This is better, isn’t it Jessica? Do you like it here?” He tried to brainwash her. “I only have a few rules Jessica… we never go in that room other there, and we never answer the door or go outside of that gate! Do you understand Jessica? If you break the rules you have to go away, because we won’t be friends anymore. Don’t want that, do you Jessica? I’ll go and get some sweeties.”
His footprints were left behind as wet splodges that stained the pine floor. Splat, splat. The noise echoed through the building and the draft drove through the gap between the door and the floor.
“Jessica, darling would you like a warm cup of coco, I know that used to be your favourite when you went to bed?” He enquired.
He didn’t give her a chance to answer; it was as though it was a rhetorical question. He carried out a cup of coco and a pack of chocolate buttons. She just sat there, not sure what to do. As he approached the tiny-framed girl she shuffled back.
“Don’t be scared Jessica, its daddy. Come give me a hug. In fact, Jessica I think it is getting quite late. Maybe you should go up to your room?”
“No… where is my mummy?” She begged.
“Your mummy said that you can stay with me for a while! Get to know me!” He grinned at her.
After climbing up the steep steps he tucked her into her bed with a peck on the forehead. Silently, he walked out.
Elsewhere, the mother of the young child was going wild.
“Bethany? Bethany?” She screamed with cramp in her stomach from how hard she was bellowing it out. No answer came though. She continued exploring all around and her speed started to pick up she kept running. She was so cold her tears were paralysed. Finally, she saw something in the distance; it was hard to tell in the darkness whether it was her mind playing games or whether it was actually a building. Her legs were so tired that she found it a challenge just to stand up right, but she had lost her husband already, she couldn’t lose her daughter too! Her daughter was all she had left of him!
Exploring further into the distance, she tripped and stumbled to the ground. She bashed her head on a flat surfaced rock and the arm that she had placed out for support was scratched along the sharp edge of a rock. She lay there, beside a rock pool of blood, and unconscious.
“Wake- up? Hello? Are you conscious?” A stranger with mid length brunette hair wiped her face and forcefully opened her eyes.
“Hello? Who are you? Where is Bethany?” She questioned him.
“Who is Bethany?”
“She is my daughter! I can’t find her anywhere! Help me, please?”
“Ma’am, do you know that the plane crashed?”
“Yes, I’m not an idiot, I was on it!”
“Are you sure that Bethany hasn’t………”
“Don’t! I know that she is alive because she was with me yesterday and then we went searching for food and other things, but then she went of and I ended up here last night!” she sternly answered.
“Ok, we are going to find her! Together! Are you ok to walk?”
“Stop fussing, I’m fine! Come on I just need to find her, please? Can you see that in the distance?”
“Oh yes! Perhaps that would be a good place to start?”
They set off, seeking for what they could see. Until after all the walking and gasping for breathe in the blistering weather they reached the building. Its wooden frame seemed secure and the door made from pine slices sown together by screws as thick as the index finger.
Ding- dong…ding-dongs? No answer came! Bang, bang…the pair bashed on the wooden door.
“Shhh listen? “ The lady asked. “I can hear crying? Can you hear that? I didn’t think there were any people around this area. Perhaps this house has a phone… I can use it to phone for help and they can help me find Bethany! We have to be quick she must be freezing and hungry! Come on… answer the door- this is no use… smash it down!”
“I can’t do that!” The man exclaimed, but overcome with wanting to find the little girl he flunk his foot through the surprisingly thin door. “Hello? We are coming in- we need to borrow your phone!”
“Hello? My door! What have you done to my door?” The diminutive, ashen man, with half a head of hair shouted.
“You got a phone?”
“Yes, it’s over there!” He pointed to the corner, “you better be paying for that door!”
“Shut-up! My daughter called Bethany has gone missing and there is around 100 people in the mountain who have lost all faith of getting out of her. I must admit I had too but then I saw this building and I now know I must battle!”
“Mummy?” A frail voice screeched out.
“Bethany?” The women questioned herself.
“No that was the Television!” The owner tried to pretend.
“Where is she? I have read about people like you I want her back! Bethany?” She shouted the name again each time she did her voice ascended in volume.
Knowing that the sound was coming from upstairs she ran for them, but closely followed by Alfred. He grabbed her hill as she placed her foot on the steps.
“Let go of me! That is my little girl, give her back!” she argued.
“No, that is my daughter and her name is Jessica!” He counteracted her argument.
At this a small face peered around the landing above the stairs.
“Bethany! I thought I’d lost you forever! Come her baby, come to mummy! Are you ok, what happened baby, he didn’t hurt you did he?” The eager mother asked as she reached out her arms.
“Of course I didn’t hurt her; she is my daughter, my Princess Jessica!”
“So where has Jessica been, when she wasn’t with you?”
“One day we went out to the stream that sails between two of the mountains and she was paddling, she started to flap her arms but then I had to go and fish at the other end, and just as I did, the wind picked up and the current pulled her away. After that I never saw her; until now because I’m sure her mother just took her for a little while but now she is back with me and I’m not letting her go a second time!”
“Alfred…..” the tired women placed her hand on his shoulder, “this isn’t Jessica, and this is my Bethany! Your Jessica has gone! You can’t take my Bethany from me too! The pain you feel, can you honestly inflict that on me with no sympathy? Just allow me to have her back, please? She is all I have!”
Slowly he walked over to the small child, cradled her in his arms and whispered in her miniature ear, “It’s time for you to go back to mummy!”
He made his exit through the front door, leaving the three in the house.
“Ok, I have spoken to the police and they are sending people to help us as soon as they can, is everything ok?” The brunette man explained as he towered over the women and her child.
“Everything is just fine; it’s all going to be ok now! I love you Bethany and we are going to get back home safely!” The women answered as her smile glowed on her face, whilst her hand rubbed her daughter’s back repeatedly.
