Twenty-seven hours passed since Peter had informed about the storm and Mia's firm decision. A small twin otter fixed-wing airplane soared up in the sky, carrying fourteen passengers along with their luggage. Mia was one among them, traveling from Kathmandu towards Lukla - Tenzing Hillary Airport, the most dangerous air landing port in the World. At the elevation of more than 2800mts above ground level, the airport's runway was considered to be the shortest of all.

"The path is where you make friends..." her father used to insist but now his words got scattered in the uproar of the plane. She was in no mood to even consider talking to anyone, not even to the one she picked up, at the New Delhi airport on her way.

Mia sat away from others, burying her head in the little window - the glass forming a frame around her face like it was a measured product. The landscape laid before her eyes mesmerized her, with the misty mystics wrapped around the pine forest and green pasture, the distributed lakes and the accumulated waterfalls. A one-time opportunity was served on the silver platter to Mia thirteen years ago, by the courtesy of her brother Mithran.

It was in October of 2010, four years after her first expedition, and her third one at that, she had the aerial view of the terrain. Her startup was in 2007 when the fifteen-year-old had the best time of her life. For years, Mithra and her twin brother Mithran dreamt of the day when they could finally go on a trek with their mentor parent, watching the sceneries in real which they had seen only through their father's words for as long as they had remembered.

Trekking from Kathmandu to Lukla painted the first week of their inaugural year. The ups and downs through the little towns, the hanging bridges and the wild were hundreds of times better than what Dhruv had described all those years.

On the third year towards their favorite excursion, as Mithran directed they wanted to try the plane from Kathmandu to Lukla, skipping their trek to Lukla, saving the extra ten days of their trip. As per the usual procedure, all the three mountaineers reached the Tribhuvan International airport's domestic platform.

A corridor, a few stairs and a short turn later they stood along with ten other persons. Except for one or two, the others had mountaineering gear resembling theirs. Both the kids were excited and the father even more.

"This should be fun! Don't blame me after this..." Dhruv rubbed his hands together, smiling wide. Something was up, his mischievous face shouted, yet the kids wanted to savor all the adventures that were there to taste. Youngblood in the fire, knows no fear.

It could have been the thunder but there was no lightning and the rumble grew louder by the second. The ironic display of nature's rule happened, as the sound had reached first and the visual tumbled behind it. It appeared as small as a bee, grew large as it touched the ground, yet, it was small.

"Is that the plane from Pearl harbor?" Mia could only think of the fat airplanes from the famous movie that portrayed a part of World War II.

Staring at the peculiar miniature craft standing on the runway, Mia remembered contemplating her previous judgment. She stood grounded, mouth wide open, curiously examining the supposed to be an airplane.

"Come on, Mia," upon studying his little sister's expressive eyes, Mithran called and stretched his hand for her to take. She was like an open book, he used to say.

Sighing she did what Mithran wanted - hopped in and took a window seat just behind the cockpit, near her beloved guide.

"What's with the face?" Dhruv inquired.

"What?" Both stopped the questioning game. Dhruv went back to the pursuit of "making friends" while Mia fought to conceal the terrible feeling at the pit of her stomach.

The roaring of the engine was similar to the prank during an intense horror movie scene. She jumped in her seat with the sound doubling her unease. A cold sweat broke on her forehead. Sipping the water, she kept dabbing her face.

"I'm gonna be sick!" Mia mumbled. Dhruv snickered, patting lightly on her shoulder.

"You should've listened to mom. Played tennis and married Rodger Federer or the other guy... who?" Mithran teased, chuckling

"Shut up!" She snapped.

The girl who treated God as an acquaintance with her 'hi and bye' intensely prayed, like one of those exam times.

'Lord Shiva, I know you can hear me. After all, I'm so close to you now. Please hear my prayers before I shout it in your ears. Save my life... no... our lives. Please! I'll do anything you ask for... I'll bring flowers to your shrine. Please... Om Namashivaya! Om Namashivaya!' As if she was one of the Protector's devoted follower she repeated in her mind.

The plane took off with a jangle, shook them off a few times before steadying itself in the air. Holding her father's arm, she would have slumped into his lap if not for the heavy layers she wore. "Om Namashivaya...!" The one time it escaped from her mouth became years of laughing stock afterward.

Dhruv seemed to suppress his laugh but failed that it erupted out in force. Mia shot deadly arrows with her big eyes growing even more bigger while an involuntary movement moved his hand to cover his mouth.

"Look... there," Dhruv pointed the window behind her.

Abrupt turning landed on the most spectacular view she had ever laid her eyes on. The clouds wafted along with them, some even scattered away like a thick smoke would when the wind blew. No words could describe the magnificent picture of the stratified towns around the mountain range and their farming lands were like chess boards made completely of green, the borders of the squares prominent with the grass walkway.

Row after row of randomly arranged houses, half-hidden by the mist, the flaked temples with golden top were the ornaments chose by the mountain Goddess. There was nothing in the world that could be compared to the untouched natural forest, the coniferous trees forming a popular new design. Mia's eyelids forgot its purpose and she sat with mouth agape for an elephant to enter in.

Time to descend approached way sooner than she had imagined. Disappointment coated her expression which gained another giggle from her so-called family members.

'Shouldn't they be more supportive?' She grumbled.

"The weather changed again. Hang on folks. We're hitting the break..." The pilot announced before he impelled the switches to slant down.

Another episode of horror struck Mia. However this time she managed to put on her poker face until her heart pounced in its hood. The craft touched the land she was certain but the Pilot was busy punching on the switches, repeatedly. His cheerfulness was all wiped out in a second, his face displaying competence and... fear.

The airplane wouldn't slow down, staggering all the way out of the runway. As the wheels touched the uneven ground, it stumbled on the rocky path, clattering the metals inside it, jiggling the passengers. They kept dashing on one another, clutching on to their gear and to their seats.

"It'd be a good death dying at the foot of my life's passion," a woman among the seaters declared which made Mia's blood boil.

"Shut up, you psycho!" Mia shouted back in irritation and terror.

No one could anticipate the end result of the plane, not even the pilot. Mia couldn't breathe. She had already started to fight with Kailasanadhar for putting her in danger and threatened not to call for him ever again if he failed to protect her and her family.

First, a slight shake and then a heavy jolt vibrated the contents of the plane and finally, after what felt like eons, the craft came to a halt. Mud was splashed on the window. A silence fell upon the passengers like a veil had been drawn on them as if they were waiting for more. Fortunately, that was it and the pilot dashed out of the plane before others could come back to their senses. Everyone followed suit. No one was injured except for the plane.

With the damaged nose, the aircraft haunted Mia for the rest of her journey. That was the last time she'd ever set her legs on the plane from and to Kathmandu. Even when that one time she had frozen legs while returning to the base camp, flying to Kathmandu was out of the question.

Thirteen years later, the unbeatable situation pushed her into the small but technologically developed aircraft again. She felt an unease creeping over her body but she was not that coward little girl to be scared. Gliding over the mountain, the towns and the woods, waded her mind over the long lost memory, tapping her brain for more.

Sometimes the old recollections were excruciatingly painful, inexplicable emotions dominating her. However, she struggled to focus on her destination without having any breakdown.

The engine power was cut short and the plane was inclined to three degrees, sliding slowly towards the Tenzing Hillary Airport. Mia hoped the craft's nose stayed intact this time. It did.

Looking around she concluded that nothing much had changed from then. The same short runway welcomed her.

"Thank God, the flight was not facing the other way or you'd be fried in hell by now..." she remembered her father comment after they got back home.

A little smile lifted her lips. With her gear on her back and her companion following her, she reached the next part of her journey. A red giant monster waited for her.
*****

🙋 Keep reading and keep supporting...!

I've made some research to write this chapter from reading articles (a lot) to watching videos. The incident in this chapter is a real one to which I've infused my fictional characters. All the setup is real too. It's still out there.

Hope you enjoy traveling with me and enjoy the sceneries and the story.

Love y'all 💛 Happie reading...!