A Bumpy Ride Back

A tundra of clouds whizzed by as I watched from the airplane window. It was a stunning show, a glimpse of heaven. But, the radiant clouds did little to soothe my nerves. For the first time in years, I was going home. No, not home.

Back.

A bit of turbulence shook the plane. I shut my eyes, trying to figure out why I had left in the first place, but I couldn't remember. What if they didn't like me anymore? What if I wasn't as witty as I used to be? Not as poetic? Romantic? Imaginative?

I pulled out my plane ticket, comforted, at the very least, by the three printed letters of validation I had earned so many years ago, LOA. I sighed.

"Passengers, this is your captain speaking. It looks like we are unable to communicate with the airport in Ficly and instead will be making an emergency landing near the grounds of Ficlatté Castle. Unfortunately, you won't have access to Ficly, and must start fresh here. Oh, and word to the wise, no one uses LOA anymore. Now brace yourselves: this might be a choppy ending."