Write on Edge

A Terminal Experience

I’ve recently discovered the writing community Write on Edge and am absolutely in love! Each week, a moderator posts a prompt for the community to write about – an exercise in imagination and development. This week’s prompt was to write a brief story regarding an experience or centering around an experience in an airport terminal. Below is my first attempt! I hope you enjoy it. I feel like I could go much further into detail, but the time is not yet right!

                                                                       -We pass so many strangers on a daily basis. What if some of them mean more?

I got to the gate early. All my check-in rituals had gone well and I’d picked up a fresh bottle of water, as they’d confiscated my first.

I settled into one of the empty seats as my eyes wandered to my travel companions on flight #1744 to Chicago. There was still a line at the desk – two men in business suits and a woman looking well organized and relaxed.

Suddenly the thought went through my mind, “she’s going to sit in the seat beside me.” It was as if a companion sitting nearby leaned in and whispered the fact. But I was traveling alone. No, there was simply a clear, precise, unquestionable knowing. I had no doubts.

Boarding was announced and my clarity was sustained. As I sat down and others boarded, the woman in line became the woman sitting to my right on flight #1744. When we landed, she departed, but he feeling of knowing persisted. The experience came to be the beginning of a journey I had never intended to take…

Why was it important for me to know that detail of where she’d sit? How did it apply to me? What was this powerful clear awareness that was happening to me?

I often found myself intuiting things that were going to happen, but this seemed bigger – more clear than ever before.

Her name was Marge. She was on a business trip. Since I couldn’t resist, I shared my knowing with her just to catch her reaction. She was interested in this clarity of mine, and it and the idea of it ignited great conversation. Yet nothing was revealed that I could grab hold of as explanation as to why I was given this knowledge.

We talked all the way to Chicago. I wondered if she was the reason I had been routed through Chicago with a destination of Florida. My interest was piqued. Contemplating it all, I decided that yes, she was a pleasant travelling companion, but the knowing didn’t apply to our meeting. Perhaps it was practice! Down the aisle came our third row member. She was dragging paper bags, bottles of water, and much more. I experienced no knowing as she approached, but in the midst of our conversation (which revealed so many mutual friends and happenings) I got it; I knew I needed to pay attention. It turned out she had the answer to a long sought out question I had: do we incarnate? I without any doubt knew who she was without question. Marge was practice. Eileen was Truth.