Landing

Landing

He hadn’t expected they’d get shot at for trying to land at the airport.

It’s not the virus, just cancer; her dying wish is to spend her last days at the cottage.

He flew low along the deserted shoreline, circled back into the wind. Resisting the compulsion to shield her face, he kept his hands clenched on the yoke, Nose up, come on, there it is, yeah!

Here we are, Dear, let’s just catch our breath before getting you settled in the cottage. I’ll unload the plane before the tide comes in, then together we shall enjoy the sunset, you and I.

****   ***   ****

Landing             

Wondering what he would do now, he guided the Cessna in wide lazy circles, climbing higher and higher over the airport below, found her hand when she mumbled groggily, told her gently, Almost, Dear, we’re almost there.

Though he’d anticipated some trouble on the ground he had expected to at least be allowed to land, where he’d prevail upon their mercy. We’ve been quarantining, we don’t have that dreaded virus, he’d imagined himself explaining, it’s just cancer and her dying wish is to spend her last days at the cottage.

But the tower voice, terse and tense, had informed him that if he continued his approach he would be shot out of the sky, told him You’re not landing here, just go back where you came from.

Flying away from the airport, he descended, then flew low along the deserted shoreline, turned the plane one more time, into the wind that bent the dune grass, slowed the plane as much as he could, Nose up, nose up, come on, praying the wheels didn’t dig in or a wing drop and catapult them and now the prop flicked slowly, slowly round like the last bit of film off the reel and he flew that plane, hovered it, hands gripping the yoke when what he really wanted to do was shield her face and protect her, but he held on, Here we go, come on, there it is, yeah!

You slept through the landing, Dear, a couple of bumps, but not bad, I’ll just catch my breath before I carry you to the cottage and get you settled, unload the plane before the tide comes in; then we shall enjoy the sunset.

****   ***   ****

The first is 99 words and six sentences, the second six sentences and 280 words.    The 99 word challenge from Carrot Ranch was to include “shield your face” and the Six Sentence Story prompt from Denise at GirlieOnThe Edge is “circle”. 

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