once upon an airline

Once upon an airplane, there was a young family of three traveling from one side of the land to the other. Keifer, Stephina, and wee little Isak were an average family of no notable importance, having not the advantage of royal treatment. Halfway along their journey, things took an unseemly turn for the worse when they were notified, with no explanation, of a delayed departure. Being in no true hurry, they remained calm. However, the delay grew in length and Isak became hungry.

Once finally on the aircraft, after an hour and half delay, they began to roll toward the runway and Isak eagerly started eating his dinner. Suddenly, the captain made an announcement...

"Good evening passengers. I'm sorry for the delay. I'm afraid it is not over yet. The airport has declared a GROUND STOP, meaning no airplane is permitted to take off. This should last about 30-40 minutes. Once the stop is lifted, they will permit planes to take off at 4 to 5 minute intervals. We are about number 15 in line. Sit tight folks."

Stephina, being not the greatest in math, began to calculate...good heavens! They were going to be on this plane, without moving, for at least an hour. She glanced hopelessly out the window, trapped and helpless, at the endless line of other aircrafts in the very same predicament. Isak finished his dinner and drifted off to sleep.

An hour went by and they finally rose into the air as Isak happily ate "dessert". They were parched and stiff since no drinks were offered during the ground stop and the safety belt sign remained iluminated the entire time. The flight was pleasant for the most part, and they landed at their desitination in the wee hours of the morning (2:00 am!!!). Dreary and exhausted, they were ready to retrieve their luggage and finally journey home.

"Would passengers DeSonier (dee-san-ni-yer) please report to the baggage claim office. Thank you."

Oh dear. Keifer went to await the luggage, while Stephina and Isak proceeded to the office. "We are dreadfully sorry, but all of your bags were delivered to another kingdom called Austin. They will not arrive until tomorrow night." As Isak squeeled in glee, happy to be off the plane, Stephina slowly approached her breaking point. Then she remembered, "Oh dear, Isak's special seat for the carriage is in Austin too!!" Eager to appease Stephina, the airline worker produced a carriage seat that was extremely antiquated, filthy, unpadded, and without a doubt substandard to any current safety regulations. Broken and defeated, she walked out of the office to find Keifer and explain. With no other option left but to leave, their dear friend and knight, Sir Terrence, appeared just in time to rescue them from the big, bad airport and bring them safely home.

The following day, Keifer and Stephina composed a letter to the airline. Soon, they discovered that, perhaps, they do have the luck of royalty. For, the airline replied, apologizing extensively, and bestowed upon them a $300.00 voucher for future flying. So, it appears, they will all live happily ever after...after all.

The End.