A Series of Sadness

Part 1

I stared at the screen of the tiny television, wishing something interesting would materialise out of Peppa Pig's smug snout that had been oinking uselessly at my face for hours. Unless I wanted to watch JJ and his friends with their balloon-like heads on Cocomelon, though, I would have to endure it. Next to me, my seven - year - brother, Jeong-ho, was resting on my shoulder, his soft black hair tumbling down as he snored softly and contentedly. I sighed, and rested my head against the window. Jeong-ho snorted like Peppa Pig on my shoulder. Suddenly, the plane began to hum, dipping up and down like a knife in butter. I didn't know much about planes, but I didn't think it was good. It was a bit of ... turbulence. Oh well? What could a little storm do? The plane was better than to crash with so many people on board ... or so I thought. My eyelids slowly began to dip over my irises until everything went dark and I was transported to a world of Peppa Pig and Danny Dog jumping in puddles made of pink goo.

My eyes ripped open as I jerked forward, my pupils screaming "HELP" at the brightness. Sweat beads trickled down my forehead for some reason, and my breath went at a billion miles an hour. WHAT WAS GOING ON? I looked out of the window, then wished I hadn't.

Blinding light, and jet-black smoke trailed behind the plane, swallowing it almost completely. I could still hear Peppa Pig snorting merrily in the background, over the passengers screaming. My voice was stuck in my throat. I couldn't speak, couldn't scream. I was terrified. My heart was beating faster than it had ever done before. My breaths were fast, too fast. Everything was shaking like some freak roller coaster. The plane dropped, and it felt like my insides were being thrusted upwards. I began to scream. But the plane couldn't be saved. We couldn't be saved. Amidst all the shaking, I saw my brother's face. His eyes, full of fear and sadness - he knew he was going to die. I felt useless. Suddenly, a loud beeping engulfed the cabin, blocking out all the screams and deafening everyone.

I wished the beeping would stop, that the flight attendants in their short skirts and pristine blouses would turn up and say it was all a false alarm. I could STILL hear Peppa Pig in the background, over everything. The flames burst through the air, propelling us forward, making us hit more turbulence. We were shoved up, blown back down and pushed from side to side and back up again. I could hear the wind laughing at us. "You will all die" it seemed to say. I stared outside at the fire in absolute terror, as it burned through the engine.. But I could see Seoul underneath us. I could see the lights of the houses. I could see the airport, far, far below us. But we were still going to die. The engine was failing, the plane was slowing down. Then: BANG! The engine had finally died. And all of the people on this plane would die with it. Peppa Pig had finally disappeared, the screen flickering with "Sorry, we've lost connection. Please try again later." And we were falling. Falling, knowing we would die. Falling...