Jackson watched the water lap at the wings. It seemed a little higher. He sighed, turned to Lana.
“You know, the part I can’t understand is that no one saw this coming. I mean, I always believed in ESP but not one person on board had the slightest clue. It was a shock to all of us.”
“I knew,” Lana replied. “But I picture the plane I’m on crashing to the ground every time I’m on one. There wasn’t all that much special about this time.”
She gazed at the endless expanse of blue around her. It lay flat and broken as far as the eye could see. It would be beautiful and peaceful under ordinary circumstances.
She laughed.
“What’s funny?” Jackson asked.
“I’m just thinking of how much people pay for a view like we’ve got in fancy hotels. We’re lucky, ya know.”
Jackson tried to smile. He adjusted the makeshift cover over his head and glanced at the sun. A few more hours of hiding from the heat and then it was back to freezing.
“So we’re pretty sure this is Lake Superior, right?” Lana asked.
“It’s definitely fresh water because we’ve tasted it and there are only a few lakes big enough in the US that are this enormous.”
“I still say it’s a good thing. I mean, there’s more of a chance of someone finding us in the middle of a lake. And at least we won’t go out like those abandoned scuba divers in that movie.”
Jackson winced. “You promised me you would NEVER bring that up.”
“Sorry. It’s the delirium talking, I guess.”
“And anyway we don’t know what’s going on back on land. We don’t even know why we’re here and how we survived while everyone else –-“
“I know. I know.”
They sat in silence. The vessel bobbed on the water for a moment. Jackson stared at the sun-dappled waves in the distance, hoping against hope for a speck of life or movement or anything.
“What place can you think of that’s worse than this?” Lana asked.
“Huh?”
“I mean, think of somewhere that this is a good alternative to.”
Jackson laughed. “Not sure. I’m definitely glad I don’t have to go to work every day. Some parts of real life really suck. And I’d rather be stranded out here bobbing in the middle of a lake than at work. Or in a really boring college class that I’m forced to take.”
“I’m glad I’m not at a baby shower,” Lana offered. “Baby showers really blow. I mean, I can’t even pretend that I enjoy them. Also not really a fan of weddings especially if it’s one of people I barely know. You know, one of those obligatory weddings.”
“I’ve got it! The dentist. A really painful dentist visit where you just know you’re going to get the drill at some point.”
“Yeah. You got me there. The sound of that drill. Yeesh.”
It was a game they played. It seemed to boost their spirits and pass the time, though neither of them knew exactly what, if anything, they were waiting for. If they really thought too long and hard about their situation, they would lose all hope.
The craft beneath them bubbled. It had happened several times before, but this time it was more loud and insistent than before. It shook them back to reality as it listed to the left.
Lana sighed. “You’re sure about the water temperature, right? You’re absolutely sure?”
Jackson nodded. “If this is Lake Superior it’s in the 50s year-round, even in the summer. You just can’t swim in it for very long without some kind of protective gear. I mean, you never hear about people taking a refreshing dip in Lake Superior.”
An hour later and the sun was lower. They watched a school of fish swim past, followed by some dark shape hunting them. These moments were few and far between, but there was something comforting about the natural order of things going on, however unnatural their circumstances were.
The plane beneath them gurgled and listed more sharply than it had yet. Lana shrieked. Jackson looked at her, saw the naked fear on her face for the first time. They both stood.
She leaned against him and he put his arms around her. She felt so frail and tiny, especially compared to the endless expanse around them.
“Where do you wish you were right now?” Jackson asked. “At this moment if you could be anywhere?”
Lana looked him in the face and smiled. “At home with you, watching really bad TV and not thinking about going anywhere for a long time. And you?”
Jackson smiled as the plane gurgled and sank.
“Same place.”
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