The One Beside My Pillow

I took a deep breath, trying to force my anxious heart back down into my stomach. Liuxia often said that although planes were the safest form of transportation, they also had the highest death rate when accidents happened. I regretted not listening to him. I couldn't sit still, and images of the plane crash photos he'd shown me kept flashing through my mind: wreckage scattered everywhere, twisted and dismembered corpses, faces frozen in terror...

The fear in my heart wouldn't go away. I checked my seat belt again, then looked up to make sure the overhead bin was shut tight. What if a suitcase fell out and hit me...? I shook my head hard, trying to drive the image of brains splattered everywhere from my mind. My chest felt tight. I pressed a hand to my heart and squeezed my eyes shut, my usually expressionless face scrunched up like a bun.

“Miss, are you all right? Would you like me to notify the captain? You look like you're in a lot of pain. I'll get you some hot water first.”