Homeward Bound
How does a woman get on a plane in London, but fail to get off in Australia?
The battered brown case slid around the circular belt like a loan surfer on the waves. The controller picked up the case and took it to his office.
It always amazed him that people could get off a flight and leave their cases behind. Many rushed back to the airport a couple of hours later. Jet lag having stolen the last of their senses.
Placing the battered case on the table, he checked the label. Marcia Edwards, Flight 241 from London, Gatwick. Quite a small suitcase for a continental flight, but still, each to their own.
Having checked the passenger manifest, he saw that Marcia had checked in on time—row six, seat C, an aisle seat. Checking the manifest showed that Marcia Edwards had never checked into Australia. That was strange she couldn’t still be on the plane because that had been turned around and was heading back to the UK.
“Tom, it’s Jack in baggage control any irregularities on Flight 241.”
“Nothing, Jack, turned it around in record time. Why?”
“We have an unclaimed bag for Marcia Edwards here, and it seems she didn’t check in this side.”
“Strange, well, she wasn’t on the plane back,” he chuckled.
The controller hung up the phone. He decided to take the route Marcia would have walked from the plane to customs.
Despite an hour of looking in every restroom and secluded seat, there was no sign of Marcia Edwards.
The controller went back to his office, scratching his head. He would have to open the case and see what it contained.
He slipped a Stanley knife along the edge of the lock. With the smallest of twists, the leather came away, and the suitcase sprung open. The suitcase was empty except for a sheet of paper and a bronze urn.
The controller opened the piece of paper and read the handwritten note.
To whoever finds this, please ensure my ashes are scattered in my homeland, Australia.
The controller picked up the urn to look at the name engraved on it. Marcia Edwards. The controller ran his fingers through his hair. What the hell was going on?
After several phone calls, the mystery deepened. No one remembered seeing Marcia Edwards on the flight. The passenger in Row six, Seat B, said the seat beside him was empty. The check-in staff confirmed an elderly lady had booked the suitcase in and boarded the plane in the UK.
Marcia Edwards’ family reported that Marcia had passed away four weeks ago. It had been her last dying wish her ashes were taken back to Australia. Her family had all been too busy to attempt this. Then they had lost her urn.
The controller still tells the story of a dead woman boarding a plane. Happy her ashes were heading where she wanted them, she went to the heavenly plane.