Passengers on a small plane are waiting for the flight to leave.  They're getting a little impatient, but the airport staff assures them the pilots will be there soon, and the flight can take off.

The entrance opens, and two men dressed in pilots' uniforms walk up the aisle.  Both are wearing dark glasses, but one is using a guide dog, and the other is tapping his way along the aisle with a cane.  Nervous laughter spreads through the cabin, but the men enter the cockpit, the door closes, and the engines start up.

The passengers begin glancing around nervously, searching for some sign that this is just a little practical joke.  None is forthcoming.

The plane moves faster and faster down the runway, and the people sitting in the window seats realize they're headed straight for the water at the edge of the airport territory.  As it begins to look as though the plane will plow into the water, panicked screams fill the cabin.

At that moment, the plane lifts smoothly into the air.  The passengers relax and laugh a little sheepishly, and soon all retreat into their magazines, secure in the knowledge that the plane is in good hands.

In the cockpit, one blind pilot turns to the other and says, "You know, Bob, one of these days, they're gonna scream too late and we're all gonna die!"

Copyright © 2006, Jace Carlton.  All International Rights Reserved.