Flight of Fantasy

 This week “One story a day” goes on vacation!! We’ll are on a five day trip to the Hawaii Island of Maui and I’ll try my best to squeeze in a book or two, while on the beach. Today we took a five hour flight to  Maui and landed at the Kahului airport. For Abhay, driving to the airport and getting into an airplane is a vacation in itself!! As we passed through the security gate, his excitement level almost reached manic proportions! Thank God, they let people with kids board the flight first! Abhay as always surged ahead of us and grabbed hold of the window seat, even if we'd not been allotted one. Anyway, as a part of our vacation tradition, we always read a book on the flight. Abhay always saves a book or two to be read once the plane takes off. This is reminiscent of the days when we used to go on vacations in India by train and I would carry a toy or book to be taken out when the train was in motion! Remember those long train journeys across the country, the thrill of gazing out of train windows and wishing you could get off at those quaint looking towns that pass by! Seems like another age now! :-)

Today we read “An Airplane Daydream” by Joanne Meire and Cecilia Minden and illustrated by Bob Ostrom. Herbie bear and his family boards an airplane to go on a vacation. Herbie fastens his seat belt and closely watches the flight attendant’s demonstration of  exit rows and oxygen masks. It begins raining as the plane gets ready for take-off. Herbie and his siblings begin the countdown to the plane ascent “5-4-3-2-1” and the plane was in the air. Herbie began to relax in his seat when he heard the pilot announce that his co-pilot is indisposed and his role is up for grabs. Herbie volunteers to act as a co-pilot and runs to the cockpit. All eager to help, Herbie seats himself in the co-pilot’s chair and excitedly surveys all the buttons and lights. As per the pilot’s instructions, Herbie operates the controls and successfully guides the plane through the skies. Just as he is about to return to his seat, the aircraft experiences a thud that wakes up Herbie who realizes what a fantastic dream it was!  When they finally reach their destination and are about to exit the plane, when Herbie and his siblings are handed out stickers by the flight Captain who says “Thanks for flying with us” and Herbie cant help but wonder if his dream was real!