[ WP ] The person sitting next to you on a plane leans over and says , `` Do n't ask me how I know this , but this plane is going to crash before it reaches Newark . ''

I was tired. I was returning home from a business trip in Chicago, and all I wanted was to get home. What I did not want was to talk to other people. I was minding my own business, sitting in the aisle seat, while the lady sitting to my right decided it would be a great idea to chat my ear off. The wrinkles around her lips danced when she spoke, and her breath smelled like coffee. Her hair was a bit too red for her age, and lipstick stained her teeth. 
 `` I'm really quite excited to see my grandson,'' she babbled, `` He's graduating law school.'' 
 
 I inhaled sharply. I just needed to make it to Newark, and I would be fine. I could do this. 
 
 `` He's also recently engaged!'' she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. `` Did I mention that?'' 
 
 *Yes, yes you did. * 
 
 `` He's got a great girl,'' she smiled, her lipstick stained tooth showing. `` She's smart, beautiful, and she's studying to be a pharmacist.'' 
 
 *That's great. * 
 
 `` She's going to prescribe drugs! How exciting is that!'' 
 
 *Very. * 
 
 Suddenly, a man with dark sunglasses and a baseball hat casually strutted down the aisle, looking for his seat. 
 *Please sit in between me and this lady with nothing better to do than to annoy me. Please. * 
 
 As he reached our row, he brushed past me, sliding into the middle seat. He did n't look too friendly, so I was happy I had the opportunity for peace and quiet. 
 
 I must have dozed off right after takeoff, because I awoke to the man staring at me, smiling. He had taken off his sunglasses, and I could see the red in his eyes. 
 `` It really is a shame,'' he whispered. I sat up in my seat, straightening out my jacket sleeves. 
 
 `` Pardon?'' I mumbled, my voice still groggy. 
 
 `` This plane is n't going to make it to Newark,'' he exhaled, turning back. I froze. Who was this man, and what was he talking about? He put his sunglasses on, leaning his head back against the headrest. 
 
 `` Sir?'' I exclaimed, my heart racing. No response. `` Sir!'' I yelled once more, this time more forcefully. Still no answer. I placed my arm on his shoulder and shook him. I needed to tell someone about this, soon. I unbuckled my seatbelt, and just as I was standing up, I felt a cold, clammy hand around my forearm. I turned around, slowly, to see the strange man breathing down my neck. 
 
 `` It's no use,'' he grinned, `` time has run out,'' he laughed, slowly sinking back into his seat. 
 
 Before I could even think of what to do, the pilot came over the intercom, and the plane hit turbulence. 
 `` We're experiencing some engine difficulties at the moment,'' he paused, `` but we ask that you stay calm.'' People around me began to look around, and worried voices filled the cabin. `` We urge that you follow the emergency protocols, and stay seated.'' The red-haired woman turned towards me, her eyes filled with fear. 
 
 `` I'm not going to see my grandson, am I?'' she muttered quietly, her voice one of many in the sea of screams. The man next to me continued to sit relaxed, still laughing. 
 
 The plane took a sudden dive, and the oxygen masks released. The screams increased, as all of us now knew what was coming. 
 
 The strange man was right. We never did make it to Newark. 
 
 My last memories were a grandmother gushing about her grandson and a strange man telling me my fate. 
 
 It really was a shame.
