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I was on my way to New Orleans to search for my parents. On my 18th birthday, my “parents” revealed to me they were actually my adoptive parents, and that they would support me in my quest to find my birth parents. As I sat in the plane the girl with sparkling green eyes sitting next to me began to strike up conversation.
“Yeah I’m 19, I grew up in New Orleans and have family there that I’m going to visit. I haven’t seen them in ages. Why are you heading out there?” She asked. I began, “Well I’m heading out there to find my birth par—“. A passenger yelling and frantically looking out the window interrupted me. “Look! Everyone look! Oh my god!”
That is when my bizarre but amazing adventure began.
Everyone ran to the windows and were amazed by the sight before them. A mass of fantastic purple light with small electrical shocks pulsating from within was heading straight for the plane. In an instance everyone froze, a mix of fear and excitement felt in the air. The mass, an amazing ball of purple electricity, made contact with the plane like a hurricane blowing through a cabin, causing a loud big bang before I lost consciousness.
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I awoke on the shores of a nightmarish looking swamp in the dead of night. As I slowly gathered myself together I became more and more confused and disoriented for what felt like hours. ‘Did I just survive a plane crash? Am I the only survivor? Where is the plane? Maybe the best course of action is to search for the crash site and hope there are other survivors,’ I thought to myself. But after hours of searching through the swamp I finally had to give up and come to terms with the fact that there are no others, and I must be miles from wherever the crash is. That is when I was struck with an immense fear. I must have been torn from the plane when the mass of purple electricity made contact with the plane and that the plane most likely drifted many more miles before crashing.
Looking around I realized that I was alone in these nightmarish woods. I knew at this point I had to find shelter. My survival instincts kicked in and I searched for a safe place for me to rest for the night. I looked around for a tree that had branches strong enough and close enough together that I could lie across them for the night. After finding my resting tree, I settled down and the exhaustion from my eventful day finally kicked in, and before long I was asleep.
When the morning light woke me after a few hours of sleep I woke and surveyed my surroundings. ‘I must be somewhere deep in the swamps of Louisiana,’ I figured. ‘Now the only question is which direction should I go to get back to civilization?’ I heard rustling in the ground trees behind me so I held on tight to the tree I was in, waiting for it to eventually stop. I stayed still for as long as I could bear before climbing down and proceeding north. Based on the sun’s position in the sky I knew it was around noon and I was walking at a decent pace north, hoping to find a small town and be able to phone for help. All of a sudden, to my absolute bewilderment, I heard voices. I called out with a mixture of fear and hope. “Help! Please help me!” At first I was met with no response, but after calling out again and I received a response from farther in the distance. And then I heard what sounded to be like a crash about a mile away. I started rushing towards the sound and halfway there I hear a voice call out something I couldn’t make out, this time closer and from what sounded like an older woman. I called back to her, “Help!” And after a few more paces she came into view. The woman was very tall, roughly six and a half feet tall, and she appeared to be middle fifties with long gray hair. She immediately asked "Were you on that plane?"
I responded, rushed and out of breath ”Yes, are you a survivor too?”
To my surprise the woman shook her head. “No I live with my family in a secluded community about five miles north. Last night we saw your plane hit a purple electric cloud and we have been looking for survivors all night.” As she spoke she began to walk in the direction she came from, me beside her. “Follow me; we have a doctor in our community. He can check you out and if you're okay we can boat you down to the city." As we walked I asked her questions about the swamp noises, about the surroundings and she reassured me there was nothing to be frightened of. After a few moments she looked around and began to speak. "There is the path to the doctor’s house, we're about three miles out now,” she announced.
"Do you live near the doctors house?" I questioned.
"Yes relatively close. You'll see when we arrive, everyone lives fairly near each other."
When we finally reached the village I was shocked. The village consisted of absolutely beautiful houses made of the trees, high and also built into the trees. It was an amazing engineering spectacle. “How did you…make such breathtaking homes?” I asked in wonder, gazing around.
“At first they were just basic in size, but as the years went on we expanded them to the size they are now,” She responded nonchalantly. “Here is the doctor’s house. He has been ready to treat the survivors; I’ll get him." She motioned for me to follow her. We walked inside the house and she walked into a side room alone. After a few moments she came out and said the doctor would be right out. As I waited I admired the spectacle that was his home. Animal skins adorned the walls but there was one in particular that caught my eye; it looked to be fur of a dog or wolf. I then heard a male voice and I turn around to see the elderly woman and who I assumed to be the doctor. He wasn’t much older than her; he looked to be nearing the age of sixty. With anxiety and concern in his voice he rushed to me and asked, "Are there any other survivors?"
“I don't know I could not find any I couldn't even find the crash site." I responded. “Well you seem to be in miraculously good shape. Any dizziness, loss of breath or headaches?" He questioned, looking me over. “Yes,” I said, realizing that I did feel a little affected, “I've been dizzy and have had headaches since I woke up from being knocked out."
“So you've lost consciousness?” He peered into my eyes. I simply nodded my head. “Well you have a concussion and a pretty severe one at that. You will have to rest a couple of days before it is safe for you to travel via boat to the city.”
The woman stepped forward and placed a hold on my shoulder. “You can stay with me. Oh, I never introduced myself. My name is Belinda, what is yours?” she asked. I smiled. “My name is Patrick Waverly, from Boston.”
“Ok Patrick, come with me and I will get you settled for the night.”
That was when I looked around and realized it was dusk. I couldn't believe how fast the day went by, but I was glad to have shelter in a community with a doctor and transportation back to the city. I thanked the doctor and Belinda led me to her home.
Her house was amazing. She had portraits and other fine arts hung all over the two-story house, bringing an air of sophistication and beauty. Her numerous pieces comforted me; it showed that she had been to the city more than once. “I would like you to meet my daughter." Belinda said, pulling my attention away from her home as I looked at her. She turned and called out, “Carolina! Carolina!” A slightly muffled voice responded back from up the stairs. “What? Hold on! I'm coming!"
Footsteps came down the stairs as Carolina entered the room. When she reached us she hesitated, surprised at the unexpected guest. “Who is this?” she questioned her mother, glancing at Belinda. “He is a survivor from the plane crash,” Belinda explained simply.
“Oh my goodness! Are you okay? What's your name?" Carolina asked me with concern.
“The doctor says I have a concussion and I have to rest a couple of days before I can go to the city. Other than that I seem to be okay, remarkably. My name is Patrick Waverly, from Boston. Your name is Carolina? Like the state?” I asked, smiling.
She laughed and looked at me, “Yes, exactly like the state.”
We made eye contact and I noticed her green eyes. They sparkled like the eyes of the girl on the plane had that sat next to me. I knew the girl wasn’t Carolina, and I realized how lucky I am to be a survivor, since it appears I'm the only one. As we spoke Belinda left and reappeared with blankets from a closet in what appeared to be the living room. “I hope you have nice sleep tonight Patrick. I will see you in the morning,” she spoke, putting the blankets down and proceeding upstairs with Carolina right behind her. The couch was made from forest wood and animal skin was extremely comfortable, and I fell asleep immediately.
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After what seemed like mere seconds after I had drifted to sleep, I was violently awoken from a big bang. I woke with a start, fear seizing me as I searched the living room, my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. I couldn’t make out anything but could hear what sounded to be two animals fighting to the death. I called out for help, completely terrified, and within seconds the sound of Belinda’s footsteps came flying down the stairs. She flipped on the lights, and I was able to see the horrific and unexplainable scene before me. There were no longer two animals fighting. Somehow one of them managed to escape through the front door, and the
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