Still Valley At 20,000 Feet by Mike Burns (my reading book .TXT) 📖

BOB
He’s pulling one of the cowling plates off the engine! He’s sabotaging it!

FLIGHT ENGINEER
“He”?

BOB
Didn’t she tell you...? There’s a man out there on the wing! He’s trying to tamper with that engine!

FLIGHT ENGINEER
Let’s keep it down, Mr. Wilson. No need to alarm people.

BOB
I’m sorry, I just had to...
(CONTINUED)
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FLIGHT ENGINEER
Now, tell me again, what’s going on?

BOB
Will you please look out there, at that engine?

FLIGHT ENGINEER
Mr. Wilson, jokes are not taken kindly in this business, especially after 9/11. And I was informed of your previous little “joke” at DFW. Do you want to be investigated and possibly put on a no-fly list?

BOB
Sir, I swear to you this is no joke. All I ask is that you look out there. (Bob sounds calm, but sweat stands out on his forehead)

All three peer out the window. The engine appears untouched. A long pause follows.

FLIGHT ENGINEER
Well, Mr. Wilson? What am I supposed to be looking for?

BOB (baffled and angry)
Now, wait a damn minute! I saw this man in white robes and white hood, using a torch that looked like a burning...cross-thing to cut open that cowling. He was there!

Julia and the flight engineer look at Bob blankly, Julia with increasing sadness.

BOB
I saw it, I saw him tamper with that engine! I swear, sir! I wouldn’t joke about this!

FLIGHT ENGINEER
All right, you saw him, Mr. Wilson, but let’s stay calm. Like I said, let’s not worry the other passengers.

BOB (surprised)
You mean you’ve seen the man, too?

FLIGHT ENGINEER
Yes, of course, Mr. Wilson. But we don’t want to frighten the whole planeload of passengers. That could be far more of a problem. Can you understand what I’m saying?

BOB (realizing he’s being humored)
Yes...yeah, I understand.

FLIGHT ENGINEER
Now, let’s just remember, Mr. Wilson...

BOB (angrily)
You can stop now, mister. Go ahead. Risk the plane. Get us all killed. I’m through trying to talk sense to...to smug bureaucrats who only excel at buck-passing.

FLIGHT ENGINEER (placatingly)
Sir, I can see that you’re sincere about this. I can see you’re trying to help. If you’d just...
(CONTINUED)
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


BOB
I said you can stop. You can leave us alone now. It’s your baby. Do what you want.

JULIA
Bob, please!

FLIGHT ENGINEER
Mr. Wilson, please try to see where we’re coming from on this...

JULIA
Bob, I’ll be right back.

At her silent urging, Julia and the flight engineer head to the back of the cabin. Bob sits digging his nails into the arms of his chair, furious, his face a vicious scowl.

BOB(aloud)
Crazy fools! I saw it! He was cutting open the cowling! Why should we have to die for their stupidity? It’s not right!

In the rear of the cabin, flight engineer drops some pills into Julia’s upturned palm. Sedatives. Meanwhile, Bob watches out the window again as the Klansman From Hell once more seats himself astride the engine-wing junction point and gleefully goes to work with his cross-torch again. The flaming eyes look up and directly into Bob’s eyes every few seconds. The hooded head bobs and quivers as if in laughter, and the fiery eyes seem to dance in Bob’s field of vision like hovering fireflies. Bob looks back at Julia, impotently rendered silent, condemned to watch the systematic destruction of the plane. Julia starts back up the aisle toward him, and the Klansman From Hell jumps back up, out of Bob’s field of view, right on cue. Julia reseats herself next to Bob.
JULIA
Honey, I was talking to the flight engineer. He suggested this (holds out sedative pill and cup of water she has brought back).

BOB
For me?

JULIA
Yes. It’s Librium--it’s pretty mild. We’ll be at Richmond in another hour anyway. It’ll help you get through the hour, and then we’ll be on the ground and we can put all this behind us, Bob.

BOB
Okay, give it here.

He takes pill and washes it down with the entire glass of water, to all appearances. Both lean back in chairs and a tense silence reigns here.

(CUT TO)

The flight engineer walks down the aisle and speaks to the stewardess who has been dealing with them throughout this.

FLIGHT ENGINEER (exhales sharply)
Glad that’s over with.

STEWARDESS: What’d you do, get her to give him one of those pills?