The day of departure had finally arrived. Lila stood in the bustling terminal of New Chitose Airport, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It felt surreal, standing on the edge of something new—something she had dreamed of but never fully believed she would do. The airport was filled with travelers heading to various destinations, but today, Lila’s destination was far from ordinary. She was heading to Thailand, a place she had only imagined visiting through books and pictures.
She glanced down at her watch—just minutes until her flight to Bangkok was called. She had everything packed, from her lightweight clothing to her trusty camera, ready to capture every moment of her adventure. She couldn’t believe that in just a few hours, she would be in a country completely different from her own, surrounded by a culture and landscape she had only read about.
As she walked toward the gate, she noticed the other passengers—families, couples, and solo travelers like herself—all carrying their own stories and dreams. Lila took a deep breath, feeling a little out of place but more excited than ever. This was her moment, the beginning of a journey that would take her far beyond the familiar streets of Sapporo.
The plane took off smoothly, and Lila settled into her seat by the window, looking out at the vast sky stretching endlessly before her. She watched as the snowy mountains of Hokkaido slowly disappeared beneath a blanket of clouds, replaced by the blue expanse of the sky. Lila closed her eyes for a moment, letting the hum of the plane and the soft vibrations beneath her feet calm her nerves.
The flight attendants began their rounds, and Lila opened her book, trying to distract herself from the small knots of anxiety building in her chest. Everything felt new—this was her first solo flight, and the idea of stepping into an entirely new culture, a new adventure, both excited and unsettled her.
As she lost herself in the pages of her book, the plane suddenly jolted. Her stomach dropped. She instinctively gripped the armrest, eyes wide. The shaking grew more intense, and Lila’s heart raced. The lights above flickered, and she could hear gasps from some of the other passengers.
“We’re experiencing turbulence,” the captain’s voice came over the intercom. “Please stay seated and fasten your seatbelts.”
The turbulence seemed endless. Lila closed her eyes, trying to calm her breath, but the violent shaking made it nearly impossible. She could feel the weightlessness as the plane dipped and swayed in the air, and everything around her felt like it was in disarray. The sounds of clattering trays and frightened murmurs filled the cabin.
Then, as abruptly as it had started, everything went silent. The shaking stopped. Lila slowly opened her eyes, finding that the plane had regained its balance. Her heartbeat was still racing, but the calm that returned to the cabin made her realize that, despite the fear, she had made it through.
A strange sense of unease lingered, and Lila couldn’t help but feel that something had changed. Something bigger than just turbulence. As the plane resumed its course, Lila looked out the window again, watching as the world below shifted from white to green, and the distant horizon filled her with anticipation.
