My day started out like any other. I woke up to the sound of toddlers sprinting through the house, causing mayhem and screaming the whole way. My two youngest, three and four years old, might as well have been twins with the way they fed off each other, back and forth, always up to no good.

  I didn't even get a chance to grab a coffee before Sara, the youngest, crash landed on the couch and declared,

  "The floor is lava!"

  Rachel, my four year old, responded with a mock bloodcurdling scream, sprinted to the nearest piece of funiture, and leapt onto it like her life depended on it. Then they both started yelling,

  "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! You're on fire! The floor is lava!"

  This wasn't my first rodeo, though. I simply hopped up to sit on the countertop and breathed in the sweet, sweet aroma of my coffee brewing beside me.

  "See, girls? Daddy's safe and sound, right here by the coffee. No lava's gonna get me this morning."

  From the hallway, I heard the tell-tale groan of a little lady who did not appreciate lava-related emergencies before 8 a.m.

  Patricia, my oldest daughter who was twelve going on seventeen, walked out of the hallway. "Can you not scream like banshees while I'm brushing my teeth?"

  The last sister, Suzie who was eleven, wasn't far behind muttering "Real lava doesn't care if you jump on the couch."

  Both of the older sisters went to the livingroom and started fighting over what to put on the TV. I just grinned into my coffee. Four daughters. Four times the trouble. Four times the fun. Sometimes I'm glad I have a job that takes me halfway around the world so I can have some respite from the chaos. Other times, theres's no place I'd rather be.

  "Honey, did you make some coffee yet? I could really use some this morn- ah great, I knew I married you for a reason." My wife, Alice, said as she walked over and gave me a peck on the cheek.

  "How many days are you going to be gone this time? When can I expect my reprive from these little crotch monsters... I mean, when do I get to see my loving husband again?"

  "Just three days this time baby. The airlines got me doing a few round trips to Japan and back. Maybe I'll pick you up another one of those pokemon stuffies you love so much while I'm away."

  "You better not make promises you can't keep, sir. Those stuffies are nothing to joke about."

  "I would never joke about somethinng as serious as a pokemon stuffie. You just keep these rugrats wrangled and out of truble as best you can ok baby?"

  I leaned over and give her a kiss.Then I turned towards the other room. "Girls, can I get some love before I take off to the big city?"

  We lived about an hour away from Atlanta in a more rural area. Its nicer out side of the city. But you gotta make money somehow. So we had to stay reletively close.

  Both of my toddlers sprinted over to tackle my shins, and and my older girls walked over and half-heartedly gave me side hugs.

  "I love you girls. Be good for your mother, you hear?"

  A half hearted responce from my older girls and giggles from the toddlers were the last thing I heard as I walked out the door saying,

  "I'll see you ladies soon, Love y'all!"

  Once I got through all the security checks and found my way to the plane I'd be flying, I made my way to the flight deck where I found my first officer, Mike, already on board with the the rest of the crew.

  Its always interesting when I first walk on board because I never know who I'll be flying with. The airlines just mix and match us all around on a flight by flight basis. But Mike was a good guy and I'd worked with him plenty of times before.

  Today should be a good flight. At least I've got a good first officer, and wont be bored on this long ass haul.

  When I walked in Mike was already in mid-sentence talking to one of the flight attendants

  "... And I told the guy, 'if the coffee maker starts leaking hydraulic fluid, that's your problem not mine.'"

  He glanced up and grinned when he saw me.

  "Hey captain Dean! Glad to see TSA didn't haul you off this time."

  "I promissed them I wasn't smuggling any toddlers in my carry-on," I said as I slapped the bag by my side. "Mornin, Mike. Still making up stories to try and impress the attendants?"

  "Well I've got to do something to pass the time before you grace us with your presence"

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "Sounds like excuses to me."

  I looked back down the row of seats where I saw two of the attendants helping an elderly lady into her seat.

  One of them gave me a smile and a quick wave. So I returned the gesture and headed into the cockpit to start some preflight checks. Mike was already on his tablet fingers dancing over the screen.

  "Looks like we've got a full house," he said. "two hundred and thirty eight souls onboard. One unaccompanied minor, and a dog named pickles."

  "As long as the kid's not named pickles, we're good." I muttered, flipping switches like second nature.

  We started going through the checklists in a rhythm not missing a beat. It was comfortable. Familiar. I'd spent many years doing this time and time again. By now I had well over 10,000 hours and had earned my title of captain. More than 6000 of those hours were acumulated in the plane I was flying today. A boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. A masive plane capable of holding 296 passengers and flying over 900km/hr . These things are amazing pieces of machinery. Makes me happy I put all the time and training into flight school after I got out of the army.

  I spent 10 years in the army before I decided to focus on my family. They were able pay for all of my training and help me get the career of my dreams. I still remember the first time I got to be part of the flight crew on a flight to Japan. I was and still am a total weeb. I've always loved their culture. The anime, the food, the mannerisms of the people. So it was only natural that I volunteered for every flight going there until they got the hint that, that was where I wanted to be. Now days I've got all the seniority so I can pretty much fly where I want.

  "Alright, Captain." Mike said, flipping the last switch with a little flair. "Systems check is clean. Flight attendants are locked and loaded. ATC already cleared us for pushback once we're ready."

  "Copy that," I replied pulling the mic of my headset closer to my mouth. "Ground this is Blue Ridge 278, requesting push and engine start."

  "Blue, ridge 278, pushback approved. Cleared for engine start on engines one and two. Have a safe flight out there."

  "Back at ya," I muttered, as I thumbed the start switches. The familiar low whine of the engines began spooling up, building to that steady hum that always settled my nerves.

  Out the left window, the ground crew gave us the thumbs-up as the tug started pulling us back from the gate.

  The radios crackled again.

  "Blue Ridge 278, taxi to runway 8 left via Alpha, crossing runway 8 right, contact tower when ready."

  "Taxiing 8 left via Alpha, crossing 8 Right, Blue ridge 278" I confirmed.

  We started rolling forward slowly. Terminal lights passing us by on both sides.

  "Heads up," Mike said. "My screen just flickered. Brief nav loss. Everything's back now though"

  I checked mine. It was normal and working just fine.

  "We'll put it in the log to have maintenance take a look at it. Mine is working just fine. We should be good." I told him

  We'd just arrived at the hold short markers at runway 8 left and contacted atlanta tower to be cleared for takeoff.

  "Atlanta Tower, Blue ridge 278 holding short of 8 left ready for departure." I said into my mic.

  "Blue ridge 278, the runways clear, your cleared for take off. Climb out at runway heading, climb to 35,000 ft." Came the response.

  "Blue ridge 278, runway heading climb to 35,000" I confirmed. "

  We pulled out onto the runway and let our engines sing. Feeling the full throtle acceleration of one of largest flying objects man has built to date never gets old.

  Hours later after spendng most of the day cruising far above the troubles of the earth we were nearly at our destination.

  "Well Mike, looks like our long haul is coming to a close. Mount Fuji is getting pretty close."

  "Yea," he replied. " We only have about 20 mins before we touch down. We made it all the way here in one peice. And I even managed to finish the in flight meal this time"

  "Oh yea, what was it in the last one that had you barfing your brains out? Olives?"

  "You know damn well it was olives! I hate those things. They look like evil little eyeballs and taste like saltwater soaked in betrayal. Who puts olives on a sandwich anyway?!"

  "I mean one could argue it's your fault for not looking at what was on the sandwich before taking a big ol' bite." I said before I burst out laughing. "I think olives are quite delicious, thank you."

  "Well you and your little balls of culinary trauma can have all the fun you want without me. Thats a party I want no part in." He said sulking. Then... he started to look like he was about to throw up.

  "Hey come on man, I know you don't like them but don't puke all over the yoke. The next guy's still gotta use that thing." I said glancing over at him.

  Mike didn't reply though. He just sat there with a troubled sick expression on his face before his eyes closed and he went limp.

  "Mike!" I yelled. "You ok buddy?!"

  I reached up and hit the attendent button hoping to get some medical help for Mike. A dull tone echoed once, then again. I grabed the handset to talk to the cabin to hopefully get someone up here to help.

  "Flight deck, we need medical, Mikes out!"

  To my growing horror there came no reply even after several attempts. Right around this time was when I realized something was really wrong.

  Mount Fuji, that had been growing steadily in our feild of view, had stoped getting closer and at some point started getting farther away. Not as if I turned the plane away from it. It was still pretty close to 12 O'clock right in front of us. It was just stretching away. Slowly at first, then faster.

  That's when I noticed that all around us in the air there were lines forming.

  I sat up trying trying to get a closer look "What the hell?"

  Like cracks in glass. Like lightning frozen mid-flash, except these weren't lightning. They were thin at first, but then quickly grew wider and more terrifying. Glowing neon in every color of the rainbow and pulsing slightly. The lines struck fear deap into my soul.

  "This cant be happening. It just doesn't make any sense."

  As they widened you could almost make out a darkness in the lines. Like... Like a void. A haunting lightless void.

  Then all at once the sky shattered into countless pieces.

  It was like flying through rainbow-colored sand, dense at first, then thinning to reveal pure and utter blackness beyond.

  Aside from the drifting shards, pieces of what I could only imagine had once been the sky, we were surrounded by void.

  My instruments screamed. Every panel went haywire. Numbers turned to gibberish. Altitude, heading, fuel - all of it, nonsense.

  The radio was dead.

  I couldn't contact anyone.

  The attendants weren't answering.

  Mike was unconscious.

  And I was all alone.

  Then, without warning, a semi-transparent blue window appeared in front of me. Glowing softly, suspended in the air like a heads-up display.