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You Have One New Message

Liam O’Buachalla

    Message received this morning at 8.23 a.m.
    “Mom, are you there? It’s me, John. It’s urgent. Pick the phone up now, please, I’m begging you. I’m on the plane to London and there’s been a terrible, terrible accident. I think we’re going to crash. I’m serious. This is for real. We’ve only got seconds left. Something’s gone horribly wrong and I need to talk. I tried ringing Marie but her phone’s off. A few moments ago, there was a loud bang at the back of the plane. I can’t see anything because I’m strapped to the seat but I think the tail’s come off or something. It must be a big hole because there’s a terrible whooshing noise now and my ears are popping like mad. It’s freezing like you wouldn’t believe. My fingers are numb: I can hardly hold the phone. Lights are flashing on and off, and junk’s flying everywhere like a tornado. The oxygen masks have dropped down but nobody’s using them because they’re all panicking. It’s pandemonium: folks are choking and having heart attacks. Everybody’s screaming and crying, even the stewardesses. The pilot has no control of the plane and we’re dropping like a stone. Pieces of metal are coming off the wings. I don’t know what to do. We’re all going to die. Nothing can save us. It’s chaos, madness. We’re going to hit the sea. No, the land; we’re still over it, I think. We’re going so fast. I’m scared, Mom. I’m really scared. We’re through the clouds now and I can see fields. The plane’s diving, head-long. We’re going to make a humongous hole in the ground. It’s coming up at us lightning fast. I just want to say I love you. Tell the kids I love’em more than anything in the world. Tell Marie I love her too. And Dad, tell him I’m sorry I caused him so much pain: I was just being a jerk. My last thoughts on earth will be of all of you; you’re in my heart forever. Bye. Bye. Bye to everyone. It’s a damned shame it has to end like this. Don’t play this recording to the kids ever: I don’t want them to know their old man was a cry-baby. I want them to grow up brave and strong even if I never was. Pray for me, Mommy. Pray hard wherever you are. I don’t want to die, Mommy. I’m scared. This is going to hurt, I know it. We’re going to hit the ground now. Save me, somebody, anybody. Save me. Don’t let me die. I don’t want to die. No! No! No!”
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