Blind man's bluff

[Erik_Kowal]

The passengers aboard the plane are getting impatient waiting for the pilots to arrive. They are late.

Then footsteps are heard from the stairs at the rear of the plane, and the missing pilots emerge. Both are wearing dark glasses. One is using a guide dog as he makes his way down the aisle to the front, and the other is tapping his way with a cane.

Nervous laughter spreads through the cabin, but the men enter the cockpit, the door closes behind them, and the engines start up. The passengers start glancing nervously around, seeking some sign that this is just a little practical joke. But none is forthcoming.

The plane rolls faster and faster down the runway, and the people sitting in the window seats realize they're heading straight for the open ocean at the far end. With the plane seemingly about to run off the end of the runway and plough into the waves, panicked screams fill the cabin.

At that moment, the plane lifts smoothly into the air. The passengers relax and laugh a little sheepishly, and soon they all retreat into their magazines, confident now that their plane is in good hands.

In the cockpit, one of the pilots turns to the other.

"Ya know, Bob, one of these days they're gonna scream too late, and we're all gonna die."