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101 Word Short Stories

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Airplane Mode

July 8, 2024 11 Comments

By Danielle Frost

The airplane was the in-between. The trip to the airport was “Things have taken a turn and you should come as soon as you can.” Take-off was “Doctors say it’s not looking good.”

But the landing could still mean anything.

It might be “still not looking good,” “the worst has happened,” or “a miracle.” But right now, hand clutching her lifeless phone with that tiny plane symbol in the top right, this plane in the air was Schrodinger’s cat. Nothing more could go wrong, right or otherwise, and it was brief and merciful.

She wished the plane would never land.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dan Graves says

    July 8, 2024 at 5:16 am

    Super. I love the analogy to the Schrodinger’s cat paradox.

    Reply
    • Dart humeston says

      July 8, 2024 at 7:30 am

      Very good.story well written.

      Reply
  2. Harris Hawk says

    July 10, 2024 at 6:38 am

    Superb – I love it!

    Reply
  3. K F Lerner says

    July 10, 2024 at 8:45 am

    Well done.

    Reply
  4. Anna Palmer says

    July 10, 2024 at 8:59 am

    Oh how we know that liminal space! Well said.

    Reply
  5. Pat R. says

    July 10, 2024 at 10:08 am

    Very clever, well done!!

    Reply
  6. Toni Brayer says

    July 10, 2024 at 1:01 pm

    Really good. That state of suspension when anything is possible.

    Reply
  7. Bridget says

    July 10, 2024 at 4:56 pm

    This brilliant and all too relatable. Well done!

    Reply
  8. Ed Kratz says

    July 12, 2024 at 5:11 pm

    Lovely. Well done. Packed a full story of hope and possibility into this, I think.

    Reply
  9. Geraint Williams says

    July 14, 2024 at 7:13 am

    Sharp and funny.

    Reply
  10. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    July 27, 2024 at 4:58 am

    A good example of the saying ‘ignorance is bliss,’ though here the negativity fuelling the character’s thoughts in the air is preferable to what they might have to face on landing. A clever piece of flash.

    Reply

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