Page 38 - Cornice Grade 8
P. 38
Survival Story
Looking for Danger
l Aashrav Raj Onta l
How fortunate does a person have to be to get We were just about to enter Germany when I felt
lost in a forest cut off from the rest of the world minuscule turbulence. Dismissively, I decided to
and live to tell the tale? Hi there, I’m Ben and this ignore it. However, after about fifteen minutes,
is my story on how I survived one of the most the minuscule turbulence had gradually trans-
dangerous and scary forests in the world, the formed into the most violent one I had ever ex-
Black Forest, with no ready materials whatsoever perienced in my lifetime. Suddenly, without a
and unbelievable luck. The above I have exagger- warning, one wing of the plane was blown off by
ated a bit more than I would want to: provided the remarkably strong wind. Now, I know what
that I was rescued within two days of me being you’re thinking: You, my friend, are full of shite.
lost. Also, let me give you a short introduction But, as hard to believe what I just said is, every
of myself. I’m Ben Williams, a normal guy who word of it is true. The plane, completely losing
attends a job staring at a computer. I am about balance, tipped over and crashed into a forest.
six feet tall, weigh about seventy kilograms and From afar, anyone could have sworn it was a
am thirty-one years old. I was a low key athlete small and irrelevant forest, but that prediction
back in college, a feat that helped me survive the would have been far from the truth. The second
impossible. I have a bulletproof mindset and an I realized that the aircraft was heading at full
uncanny ability to focus on whatever I am do- pace towards the forest, I had a sickening feeling
ing, also something that helped me survive the down in my stomach and had only one thought:
impossible. Enough of self-praise, now let’s get I’m dead.
on with the story.
However, by sheer luck, I survived with only mi-
It all started the day I was scheduled to fly from nor injuries. As soon as the plane crashed onto
Doha to the United Kingdom for office related one of the trees, I rushed out, my head spinning
work. The flight was scheduled to take off at 1:00 and my leg aching. The pilot of the aircraft lay
p.m. It was a fairly quiet and peaceful day and unconscious on the ground. I checked for a slight
I woke up, ready for the seven-and-a-half-hour pulse for what felt like an eternity, but it never
journey. After lunch and checking out of my ho- came. Finally accepting defeat, I limped toward
tel, I departed towards the airport. The weather the aircraft, which was about ten feet away. I
was as good as I could have ever hoped for, with then came to the conclusion that the pilot, fig-
an October’s sky way back in April. The plane uring out that we were headed straight to death,
that would take me to London had already ar- had jumped out of the plane. However, he had
rived and as soon as I was done with the security miscalculated the plane’s height and had jumped
check, I was ready to board the aircraft. It was more than fifty feet, into the concrete like jungle
a two seater plane and the only person present floor and straight to his death.
except me was the pilot, Max, who seemed to be
in a particularly relaxed and cheerful mood. We After the initial shock of the accident and Max’s
took off exactly on time and everything seemed untimely death had subsided to some degree
to be going well. All went adroitly for nearly an- within me, I finally came back to my senses and
other six hours. had enough sense to search the plane for any val-
