The Urn on Board

I was carrying my husband’s ashes home when the plane hit a pocket of turbulence, lurching violently. When it finally stabilized, the woman in the seat in front of me shot to her feet. She pointed a trembling finger at the box in my arms, her voice a piercing shriek. “It’s her! That box she’s holding! It’s a bad omen!” Her voice escalated, ringing through the tense cabin. “Isn’t it enough that her husband’s dead? Now she wants to drag the rest of us down with her!” The cabin erupted. A wave of condemnation washed over me. “No wonder we hit that turbulence! She brought a dead person on board! What a jinx!” “Make an emergency landing and get her off! Don’t let her selfish actions doom us all!” As the chaos threatened to boil over, the captain had no choice but to request an emergency landing. But when the plane touched down and the cabin door swung open, a stunned silence fell over everyone. Lined up on the tarmac below was a solemn procession of military vehicles. They were waiting with the highest state honors to welcome my husband, a decorated national hero, home for the last time.

1 A collective sigh of relief filled the cabin as the feeling of weightlessness vanished. I clutched the box tighter, my voice a trembling whisper. “It’s okay, Jack. We’re safe now.” My quiet words of comfort reached the ears of the passenger in front of me, a woman named Veronica. She whipped her head around, her brow furrowed as she scrutinized the box in my hands. Just then, the captain’s voice crackled over the intercom again. 【Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve detected a thunderstorm cell on our current flight path. For your safety, we will be rerouting.】 【Our new estimated arrival time will be delayed by approximately 30 minutes. Please keep your seatbelts fastened. Thank you for your understanding.】 Veronica’s eyes lit up with a kind of vindicated fury. She jabbed a finger at me and snarled. “I knew I felt a chill! It’s you! You had the nerve to bring an urn onto a plane!” “Get that thing away from me! Stop cursing us all!” I gently wiped a speck of dust from the smooth wood of the box, my voice level and quiet. “Do you have a guilty conscience, ma’am? You seem awfully paranoid.” Her face flushed a deep, ugly red. She looked ready to lunge at me. A flight attendant quickly stepped between us. “Ma’am, please, calm down.” “The container was cleared by airport security before boarding. I assure you it poses no threat to anyone…” Veronica cut her off with a dismissive wave. “I don’t care! I want a new seat, now! I want to be as far away from that… that thing as possible!” “Bump me up to first class. Immediately!” The young flight attendant looked flustered. “I’m very sorry, ma’am, but this is a full flight. There are no available seats in first class.” “No seats?” Veronica’s voice climbed an octave. “Then kick her off the plane! My father is Victor Cromwell. Do you have any idea how much business my father’s company could pull from this airline with a single phone call?” At the mention of Victor Cromwell, the flight attendant’s face went pale. He was a titan in the freight and logistics industry, a man with deep ties to nearly every major airline. The head purser hurried over, a sycophantic smile plastered on her face. “Miss Cromwell! My deepest apologies for the disturbance.” “How about this? Let me see if I can arrange something for you in first class. I’m sure we can make some room.” But Veronica wasn’t satisfied. “No! I want her off this plane! Right now!” “I’ve flown hundreds of times and I’ve never experienced turbulence this bad, or a delay like this! This is a curse!” She paused for dramatic effect, raising her voice so the whole cabin could hear. “We still have over an hour left in the air! Who knows what other disasters are waiting for us! It won’t matter if you’re in economy or first class when this plane goes down in flames because of her!” Her words were a spark in a tinderbox of fear. “What is wrong with this airline? How could they let something like that on board? I never would have taken this flight!” “She’s so selfish. She doesn’t care if the rest of us live or die.” “I don’t want to die… My two kids are waiting for me at home…” The murmurs swelled into a roar, a wave of panic and accusation that threatened to drown me. The head purser shot me a cold, dismissive look, her tone clipped and official. “Ma’am, given that your… item… is causing distress to the other passengers, we’re going to have to ask you to let us store it in the cargo hold for the remainder of the flight.” So, a tantrum gets you an upgrade to first class, while a fallen hero gets treated like luggage. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the box. My voice came out hoarse. “TSA regulations state that cremated remains are permitted in the cabin.” “Or do the rules change based on who’s complaining the loudest?” The purser faltered, clearly not expecting me to push back. “I… I’m simply trying to consider the feelings of the other passengers and de-escalate the situation…” “Oh, forget talking to her! Just take it!” Veronica suddenly lunged, her hands reaching for the box. I instinctively curled my body around it, protecting it with all my strength. In the struggle, her sharp nails tore at the black cardigan I was wearing, ripping it open. When the garment underneath was revealed, a collective gasp swept through the cabin.

2 Beneath the cardigan, I was wearing a wedding gown. It was a stunning, vibrant red, sewn with delicate golden thread. The life-affirming red of the dress was a stark, shocking contrast to the solemn black of the box. Veronica’s eyes raked over me, a cruel smirk twisting her lips. “Well, well. Your husband’s not even cold and you’re already dressed for the next one? Are you planning to get remarried the second we land?” Her words unleashed a fresh torrent of judgment. “Her husband is dead and she’s dressing like that for attention? The woman has no shame!” “I bet she had something to do with his death. Wearing red while carrying his ashes… she’s trying to curse his spirit so he can never find peace.” “If she was really grieving, she would have chartered a private plane, no matter the cost. She’s just cheap.” Their baseless accusations were like daggers twisting in a heart that was already shattered into a million pieces. Just three days ago, Jack and I had signed our marriage license. He hadn’t even had the chance to slip the ring on my finger before an urgent call came from his base, summoning him back. Before he left, he held me tight and promised, “Ava, I’m so sorry. I swear, when this mission is over, I’m going to give you the biggest wedding you’ve ever seen.” “Don’t worry,” he’d whispered, “I haven’t seen you in your wedding dress yet. I have to come back safe.” The next news I received was the one I’d dreaded my entire life. Jack had always been frugal, so I refused the military’s offer of a private escort. I wanted to bring him home quietly, wearing the dress he’d been so excited to see. I never imagined my final act of love for him would be twisted into this ugly spectacle of heartlessness. Seeing my silence, Veronica leaned in close, a theatrical ‘tsk’ sound escaping her lips. “That deadbeat husband of yours must have been a real piece of work. Even God doesn’t want him. Nothing but bad luck follows him, even in death.” “It’s obvious you don’t care about him. Why don’t you just flush him down the toilet and be done with it…” CRACK! My hand flew up, the sound of the slap echoing through the suddenly silent cabin. Veronica’s eyes widened in disbelief before she let out an ear-splitting shriek. “You bitch! You actually hit me!” My face was a cold mask. “My husband,” I said, my voice dangerously low, “was a hero. He lived his life with honor. You dare slander him again, and I will tear that venomous tongue from your mouth.” For a moment, she was stunned. Then her eyes filled with a venomous hatred. “Oh, we’ll see about that!” She lunged at me like a wild animal, her perfectly manicured nails slashing across my cheek, drawing blood. Something inside me snapped. I fought back, a whirlwind of flailing arms and raw grief. The cabin descended into utter chaos. Passengers scrambled to pull us apart, their panicked shouts adding to the pandemonium. It took several people to finally restrain us. Two flight attendants pinned me against my seat without a word, cinching my wrists tightly with zip-tie restraints. Meanwhile, Veronica was surrounded by a gaggle of concerned crew members, all fussing over her, checking for injuries, practically falling over themselves to soothe her. The head purser strode over to me, her face a mask of condescending authority. “Ma’am, due to your disruptive and violent behavior, which has endangered the safety of this flight, we have already notified ground control.” “For the security of everyone on board, the captain has decided to make an unscheduled landing at a nearby military airbase, where you will be handed over to the authorities!” A military airbase? At those words, the storm of my emotions suddenly quieted. That was the base where Jack had been stationed. The thought of setting foot on the same ground he had, of breathing the same air, brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. But this time, they were mixed with something else. A flicker of anticipation. I couldn’t help but wonder how my husband’s brothers-in-arms would handle this situation.