I'm up. My eyes open to see chaos. I can see dozens of trees buried under this huge wing of a plane. I can feel the heat given off of the burning flames on my body. My confusion as to where I am and whats going on is the only thing distracting me from the burst of pain in my skull. I don't even remember how I hit my head; I don't even remember how I got here. The last thing I remember is picking at the unsalted cashews the flight attendant handed to me. Then….it hits me…I'm alone…..in this forest….I see absolutely nothing but the destruction of nature and the gray sky. Fear rushes through me. What will I do? How could this of happened? Who am I kidding, I don't even know what "this" is. Boy, my head aches. I start feeling a strong chill on my legs and so I glaze downward. I see that my white jeans are now ripped in almost every area, and a shade of dark brown with a hint of red considering the blood stains. I begin to roll up my jeans and right away I scream in pain. It seems as if I’ve severely injured my leg and I can’t help but feel helpless as I stare at the large gashes taking up my shins. Suddenly, I hear a woman shriek. I immediately stood myself up being irresistible to not helping another. The woman did not stop at that first scream and so I limped as fast as I could. Then, I stop. I come across what looks like a beach. I jump as I feel the hot sand burn my feet. I grab two broken branches and shape them into pogo sticks. I pogo until I find her. My observations tell me: she’s mid thirty’s, five to six months pregnant, and possibly in labor. So many thoughts struck my mind. I NEED to help her but then again, I’m merely a practicing dentist from Long Island! As much as I’d like to be the hero here, I sincerely feel I don’t have the potential to be. Then I realize I must put this reluctance aside me and help. I quickly drop the handmade pogo stick and run, forgetting the burning, hot sand. I crouch myself down right beside her and she’s in complete shock. I can hear the pain in her voice as she says, “Who am I?” My eyes widen after I process what she has asked. She must have gotten a concussion and is suffering from long term memory loss. I’m at loss for words to console her. I reply, “Your going to be all right, do not worry.” Still hopelessly confused, she nods. Luckily, I remember sticking by my sister’s side as she was giving birth and listening to the doctor explain to me the delivering procedure. I place myself in the appropriate position and examine the woman. I’m able to conclude that she is only having contractions and there is no sign of the baby ready to leave the woman’s womb. I advise her to breathe in and out deeply and approximately forty-five minutes later, she was okay, leaving me with the greatest satisfaction. I look around and become tempted to search the island for other fellow passengers of Flight #286. She must have seen the look on my face being that she tried standing up. I immediately stopped her for as she must rest. I shall tour the island later hoping someone will come our way, help me with my possibly fractured leg, and wait with the woman. Coincidentally, nearly fifteen minutes later, two men arrived. They look like they have just walked out of a furnace. They both have smoke stains covering all of their attire. The two strangers approach us with wide grins across their faces saying, “We have been looking everywhere for you!” The woman and I ask simultaneously, “Huh?” The abnormally tall man briefly replies, “I’m Clark and this is Roger. You must come with us.” I tell them of my broken leg, they turn to each other and nod. Clark stands behind my shoulders and Roger in front of my feet. On the count of three they picked me up, Clark carrying my upper body and Roger carrying my lower. They walk us through a forest and soon enough arrive at the other end of the island. I see the other wing of the plane, palm trees collapsed on the sand, and lastly a large ship carrying the other passengers. I stare in amazement. We make our way to the boat and the men gently place the woman and I on 2 long cushioned seats. Clark pulls up a chair next to me and explains to me that our plane’s engine has failed on our way to Spain and has crashed on this island. Fortunately, everyone has survived except many are suffering with drastic memory loss. Clark tells me he will make sure everyone gets to a hospital pronto and everything will soon start to make more sense to them. The ships set off shore and we are on our way to the nearest airport. I suddenly feel myself drifting off to sleep....
- Marielle Salem