the Boy in Water

I was finally going to see my husband once more after three years of him working overseas. The job paid well, but I had school to finish, and we had a boy-my only child, my darling son Elias. He was turning seventeen and wanted to spend his birthday with his dad, the first time we'd all be together afresh. I was nervous, of course. We hadn't seen him in so long, and everything had changed. Still, this felt like a new beginning. I was acquainted with some who were from my past, some from brief memories I didn't think would matter, and others I couldn't quite place. But I recognized them. All of them. That was the moment the announcement came over the intercom: "L-Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. We're making an emergency landing." A man near me leaned over to a nervous-looking woman and said quietly, "He didn't say where. That means the ocean..." My chest tightened as I started to rise. Elias turned to me, his whisper small. "Mom, are you okay?" That was the last thing I heard before everything fell apart.