Beyond the Sky: Jack's Rescue

Before I begin, let me introduce myself. My name is Jack. I'm 14 years old and in secondary school. To give you an idea, I'm 5'6" with brown hair and deep blue eyes.

Since I was very young, I've always been fascinated by airplanes. I've spent hours watching them take off and land, tracking them on FlightRadar24, and dreaming of flying someday. Today, that dream is coming true as I'm about to board an Airbus A340-600, an impressive aircraft I've often imagined.

I must admit, it's a moment I've been eagerly awaiting. But I'm getting ahead of myself; I'm talking too much about me. What I really want is to tell you what happens next.

It all starts out quietly. I go to school as usual, unaware of what awaits me. Our teacher announces that we will soon have a school trip. So far, I think we're probably going to the zoo or a museum, something classic. But then, as I'm lost in thought, I hear the teacher mention the word "plane," and my heart races. I can't believe it: in two days, I'll be flying with my class!

As soon as I get home, I start packing my suitcase, joined by my best friends, all as excited as I am.

The big day finally arrives. I head to school, eagerly, and it's time to gather and head to the airport. The whole class gets on the bus, and I sit next to my friends. The ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes, but excitement makes us lose track of time.

When we get near the airport, we get stuck in traffic for a good half hour. Despite the wait, I'm thrilled at the thought of boarding the world's longest plane, the Airbus A340-600. Once we finally get into the airport, another wait begins: 2 to 3 hours to kill in the duty-free shops. Thankfully, there's plenty to see and do to pass the time.

After a long wait of 3 hours and 20 minutes, it's finally time to board. The whole class gets on board without knowing where we're headed. But when we hear the pilot's announcement before takeoff, the excitement reaches its peak: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Lufthansa Flight 583 from Montreal to Sydney." The entire class is buzzing, and I'm the most excited!

The flight is 13 hours long, so most of my classmates decide to sleep. My friends Jenny, Camilla, and Sarah, and I choose to stay awake to enjoy the entertainment system. After about 9 or 10 hours of flying, Jenny and Camilla fall asleep, leaving Sarah and me awake. Not knowing what else to do, we each take out our phones to pass the time. I'm tracking our flight on FlightRadar24 when I notice something strange: we're starting to descend, which isn't normal since we're not even near the airport. I see the plane's altitude dropping rapidly, from 35,000 feet to 30,000 feet, then to 22,000 feet, and it keeps going...

Me: "What the hell?" Sarah: "What?" Me: "The plane just dropped 15,000 feet in 30 seconds!" Me: "This isn't normal; we're not even in Australia yet, we're over the Pacific Ocean! And it's still descending." Me: "I need to do something."

Without waiting, I get up, leaving Sarah confused. I head towards a flight attendant and immediately notice the worry in her eyes.

Attendant: "Hello, young man, how can I help you?" Me: "There's no need to pretend; I know something is happening. The plane has lost over 20,000 feet in altitude in one minute, and it's continuing." Attendant: "Sir, we don't know what's happening. The cockpit door is locked, and the pilots aren't responding." Me: "Don't worry, I know how to get into the cockpit."

I head towards the bathrooms near the cockpit and start removing the metal panels from the wall. Eventually, a light from the cockpit appears. I squeeze through the passage I've created and finally reach the inside. What I see leaves me speechless: the two pilots are unconscious, slumped over the controls. I immediately understand the gravity of the situation and remove the pilots from their seats. I adjust the controls and then open the cockpit door to let the flight attendants in. Seeing the scene, they rush to the phones to make an announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have an emergency on board. Is there a pilot among you?"