This is a sequel to my previous note UNSEEN and UNTOLD. As a matter of fact, when the boarding call was announced, I was lost in the thoughts about what awaited me. Then I walked to GATE 2 as announced by the Staff. As I made my way through ocean of people who stood between me and the gate, I tried to observe and memorise a lot of things happening there. But this thought was completely washed away when I saw cute, chubby baby seated in a peach coloured perambulator. He sat as if his majesty ruled the world, and stared at each and everything that his tiny eyes filled with inquisitiveness would see. I then realised that I need to move to gate 2 and not 3, where I ended up standing because I was more attracted towards how the little world imagined the world to be. And it seemed strange for me to accept the fact that, we all crossed that stage when exploration and eagerness about everything dominated us, and we made fuss only about either candies or cerelac. I saw a queue already there, and decided to join to end of this short queue. Short it was, I said to myself. My vision was troubling me I thought, but soon realised it was not my vision to blame. The chain of passengers extended till the entrance of the lounge.
After exiting the gate and stepping outside to board the bus that would take us till the plane, there was a harsh gush of air that blew against me seeming to push me so that I step backward. Finally, I arrived at the plane. As we drove past the plane to reach the ramp, I watched the eyes of the bird that stood in front of me. I felt as if I saw cat’s eye. But soon realised it was nothing and the resemblance to cat’s eye was due to the reflection of the light from the opposite side the same lounge where I sat all this while. We got down and I saw in awe the rows of planes that were taxied in a perfect straight line.
When I entered the flight, as every company had a signature style, so did this one. I felt on seeing the head rest covers that had alternate white and blue, in a way seemed like pearl and sapphire placed in alternation. I made my way to my seat 11A. I wondered why I was so happy? Soon I realised the reason, simple , I got a window seat. After the boarding was complete and the doors were shut tight, the crew began its monotonous explanation about the security procedures and everything they could to advertise about their company. The ground steward stood below the wings of the flight and held emerald coloured light indicating that the flight was ready to move towards the runway. After the flight taxied to the airstrip, it made a halt for five minutes. This halt did not bore me, instead it kept me engaged. I got to see 2 planes take off and 1 plane land in immediate succession. The head of the cabin crew finished their briefing. The flight made a U-turn and the captain asked all his crew to standby for take -off. I could feel the brakes being released slowly, rather the throttle being pushed to maximum. The blades of the fan making noise and it increased and reached maximum in a matter of few seconds, and the wheels parting from the runway, smooth like a knife cutting through butter. The huge bird sped like a bullet shot from a glock pistol across the airstrip. As we ascended slowly, I stared down at the glitz that adorned the capital city. Thousands of millions yellow lights, from above seemed like a sky below me with infinite stars that brightened the city. Stars of yellow sapphire spread beneath me as far as my eyes could span and much beyond. Slowly everything seemed hazy, time was right to conclude that we attained cruising altitude. The carpet of clouds stood barrier between me and the earth below.
I got engrossed in my laptop so much so that, I failed to realise that the flight flew at the speed of the time. The head of the cabin crew announced that we were about to descend. I shut down my laptop and waited to catch a glimpse of the earth, expecting to see another yellow sapphire studded city after being cut off so long in the world up so high. The descent began and to my utter awe appeared a city studded not with yellow sapphires but with diamonds and there was only a tinge of gold here and there. It was spell binding to see the city when, the flight made the final semi circle and got into position to hit the runway. It would also be appropriate to say it was a STAR studded city unlike Chennai which I would say would be rightly crowned GOLDEN GARDEN.
Spoilers were raised on the wings and the nose pointed straight to the runway. As we neared and I could see ants with wheels and headlights all over the roads that seemed like a floor of garnet. As the flight reached the boundaries of the airport the tallest among the buildings near- by had its name board on the last floor with ruby red lights. Take-off and touch-down surely makes some butterflies flap their wings hard in the stomach. Nothing changed this time, except that this time rather than the butterflies in my stomach it was the blue sapphire that bordered the runway that caught my attention. Now it was that tyres that screamed, that blades of the fans falling silent reducing the rumbling noise, throttle being released and brakes going full on. Even before that captain announced that it was safe to switch on the mobile phones, people were already talking not heeding to what the airhostess had to say. The huge bird made way to its hanger nest were ground stewards holding a red coral stood at places exactly the nose and wings of the bird had to be positioned.
It was glittery journey from where I started to where I finished.
Last words the head of the cabin crew said “THANK YOU FOR FLYING WITH US. WE WISH TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD AGAIN VERY SOON.”
And here is how it goes my way “THANK YOU FOR READING THIS NOTE. I WISH TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD AGAIN VERY SOON.”
*****LIGHTS DIM*****
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