The Corpse in Seat 2A

It was halloween and the flight had suffered a huge delay for whatever reason, which led to most of the passengers being re-seated on other flights, leaving only a handful of us. And by us, I mean those unlucky enough not to have been re-seated or unable to afford a hotel, stuck at the airport. Despite the long wait, I actually preferred sharing the cabin with fewer passengers, which is something usually one could only accomplish in first class.

I enjoyed the luxury of being able to choose my seat once I boarded the flight. While most of the passengers had decided to sit at the far back section of the plane, I chose a quiet corner seat in the front section where there was just a few other passengers that appeared to know each other judging by how close they were seated together. The flight was originally intended to take place during the day, but the delay has resulted in an overnight flight. Not a big deal, but I did miss seeing the awesome view from outside the window, which eventually led me to focus my attention to the interior of the cabin.

Despite the fact the most planes often appear larger on the inside, the enclosed space always made me feel a little uncomfortable and usually resulted in a persistent need for a  distraction such as reading a book and listening to music. I was about to pull out my phone when I was suddenly approached by the flight attendant asking me if I wouldn't mind sitting with the other passengers.

Albeit confused, I agreed to the unusal request since I was travelling fairly light and I figured there must have been a good reason for it. although I did regret asking why when I had the chance. Shortly after chaging the seats and settling in, the entire cabin plunged into an eerie silence. I probably wouldn't have thought that much of it had it not been for the conversations between the other passengers that had quickly faded into the frightened whispers of shock and disbelief.

Have you ever felt that strange sensation of the atmosphere around you instantly becoming heavy with sorrow and the thought of never being cheerful again?

That's exactly what it felt like and even more so as I looked to see what everyone was getting so. I couldn't quite believe my eyes at first and the notion of sharing a small cabin with a dead person for the remainder of the flight was extremely unsettling. I knew that the flight were probably just following procedure but I could feel my stomach churning in the face of this morbid turn of events.

At the point, I decided to head on to the restroom. I eventually ended up just taking a breather and telling myself to get a grip. I wasn't the only passenger on the plane after all. After a few minutes of finally pulling myself together enough to try to get through the rest of the flight, a loud thud shook the door. Suddenly, the banging stopped and all I could hear was my elevated breathing. 

Strangely, I felt less safe alone locked inside the restroom that I did outside with the rest of the passengers. So, I waited just a few minutes before cautiosuly opening the door. I couldn't see any sign of danger as I peered through the gap in the door and prepared to vacate the restroom. Just as I was about to discreetly return to my seat, the same flight attendant from before appeared out of nowhere almost hitting me with a service trolley.

It looked like she had just finished serving fresh beverages to some of the passengers, and I remember thinking how strange it was that she appeared oblivious to the loud banging on the restroom door that had occured just moments prior. She remained completely speachless, and there was something off about the way she looked at me.

You know that weird stare you give someone when you suspect they're onto you for whatever reason? I eventually broke eye contact, and she continued down aisle to serve drinks to the rest of the passengers. I quickly returned to my seat, having almost completely forgotten about the corpse that had been seated in the corner behind me.

I still can't believe I managed to walk right past it without even noticing. I guess I was still a little distracted by the fact that none of the other passengers appreared to have heard the loud banging on the door, either. Perhaps it wasn't as loud as I remember, or maybe it was just a prank. It was halloween after all. At least I had a spooky halloween tale to share with my young nephews back at home.

Even if it meant not being able to share the entire truth of what really happened on board that flight, atleat until now.