A human’s fear begins where logic ends.

I was on the plane, flying back to Sweden from Cuba. I was there for only one reason—I was on a semester with my friends, I was invited to admire the beauty there. Then I found out my mother had fallen gravely ill.

But to be able to do that, I had to fly over the Bermuda triangle, and as everyone knows— whenever something enters there, nothing comes back out.

I had to risk it, I couldn’t let my mother be all alone for another second. I could’ve just traveled to Florida, and then from there I could’ve flown to Sweden, but I can’t let her wait. My mother is the dearest to me.

“Mr. Nilsson, would you like beef or chicken?” A flight attendant nodded to me with a smile. I’ve met her two times, she’s a sweet one.

“I would like the chicken, thank you!” With a grin I slightly bowed.

—

The plane was quiet— as excepted. Some people were glued to their seatback screens, either playing or watching movies. The others were sleeping and some even working on their laptops.

I couldn’t sleep; I was too worried about my mother’s health. Father had died a few years ago—four years, to be exact. She was still hurting; they had loved each other so dearly, their love like something out of a fairy tale.

Seconds pass, minutes pass, so eventually I decided to read a book my mother once gave me for my 20th birthday.

The book started boringly—the main character’s story dragged. Not that mine is perfect either. My life is boring too—no action, no drama, everything pretty calm.

I kept reading, page after page. Around me, the plane buzzed with life: a baby crying, someone arguing over a stolen seat, voices rising and falling. Drama… I couldn’t help but notice it everywhere, yet it wasn’t mine.

Suddenly everything went quiet. Looking up from my book my mouth fell open.

Where are the people?

I stood up as my book dropped to the floor. Where the fuck are people? Where are they?

The plain is still flying, so what’s happening?

I sat back down and rubbed my eyes, as soon as I opened them again, I glanced to my right, and saw my seatmate staring at me, confused.

“What is wrong, dear?” She whispered. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, no! I’m good, thanks for asking!”

What was that?

Minutes pass and I’m still shook. I poured some water in my hand to rub it around my neck, forehead and chest area. Maybe I’m just exhausted! Yes— psychologically and scientifically— if a human is under extreme stress, pressure and worry, they can start hallucinating, that’s it.

“AAH!” someone screamed.

The plane lost control and was falling.

“This is your captain speaking!” the intercom buzzed, slightly distorted. “We are… experiencing… extreme turbulence. Everyone, remain seated and fasten your seatbelts—do not leave your seats! We… are trying to stabilize the aircraft!”

I could hear the anxiety in the captain’s voice — I’m sure everyone could. But no one was listening to the instructions. Most were screaming and crying; a man was having a seizure in the aisle.

My heart is throbbing. Mother…

Come here…

Huh? Who said that? I looked over the seats—oh God… what is that smoke? No—wait. It’s a person… no, it’s smoke shaped like a person.

Come here…

Thump… thump… thump… thump… THUMP—THUMP—THUMP.

My legs were shaking. What? Why? Mother…

Was it… smiling? Or am I hallucinating again? I froze in my seat, staring at the smoky figure. It didn’t move like a normal person. It drifted… hovering slightly above the floor, twisting and turning like it was alive yet not alive.

Come here human…

The voice wasn’t coming from my ears—it was inside my head. My hands trembled as my left hand reached toward it, and the smoke seemed to ripple in response, like water disturbed by a stone.

Around me, chaos continued. Screams, cries, the thumping heartbeat of the plane—but none of it registered. Everything felt distant, unreal, like I was watching someone else's nightmare.

I swallowed hard. “W-what do you want?” I whispered.

There is no escape…

My head started pounding. Sparkles danced across my vision, tiny flashes of light spinning into streaks of color. My breaths came ragged and shallow; nausea churned in my stomach. The plane’s chaos, the screams, the thumping—everything blurred into a dizzy whirl.

I looked around, trying to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating, wasn’t losing it, but the world tilted and swayed. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. I pressed my hands to both sides of my head, trying to steady it… to stop it…

But it was no use.

Darkness crept in from the edges, swallowing the sparkles, the sounds, everything.

And then… everything went blank.