Alaska Air

Claressa was not an adventurous person. She hadn’t been on a plane in years and she had forgotten the feeling of her stomach sinking when the front of the plane suddenly pitched upwards and she was pressed back into her seat. She had a feeling of release when she thought, “If the plane crashes, I’ll certainly die.” She got this way on takeoff and landing. For reasons unknown to her, the flying part seemed the most safe. She wasn’t scared of flying, she just didn’t enjoy it. 

The flight was short, under four hours. Just enough time to watch a movie or read a book. She sat next to an older man who seemed friendly. He mostly kept to himself, but he did make polite conversation.

“Nervous?” the man said as Claressa released her grip on the armrest just after take off.

“No,” she said. “It’s just been awhile.”

“I used to be afraid to fly, but I had to get over that. I travel a lot for work.”

Claressa didn’t take the bait. Instead, she smiled and pulled her tablet out of her bag and brought up an e-book she was reading. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and let her curly,  dark red hair hang down to her shoulders. She was almost thirty, but the freckles on her cheeks made her look younger. She’d seen videos online showing women how to fake the freckle look,  but she was always looking for ways to mask them.

As they neared Anchorage, they were over land again. Claressa peered out the window at the snow covered, mountainous landscape spread out beneath her. It was jagged, not uniform. Wild. She had never seen so many peaks so close together, from so high.

“First time in Alaska?” the man asked. She nodded in confirmation. “I’m coming home and it always takes my breath away. I know I’m home when I see that range. I once flew home from Asia and you could look out one side of the plane and it was bright and out the other side of the plane it was dark. We must’ve been flying over the north pole or something. It was pretty spectacular.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Just wait until you take in that Alaska air. Are you here for business? Do you have family in Alaska?”

“I had family, I guess,” she said, still looking out the window. If she had to guess, she would say he was in his early fifties. He had a full head of black hair with a sprinkle of grey above the ears. He wore slacks and a button-up shirt and he kept himself fit. “I’m here for my great uncle’s will.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. Were you close?”

“Actually, I’d never heard of him until last week. He stopped talking to my family before I was born. I’m not sure why I was named in his will at all.” She withheld the fact that the inheritance was an island. That was better kept to herself, she thought.

“A mystery,” he said. “Sometimes we need a little mystery in our lives. Keeps it interesting.” She agreed and continued watching the ground beneath her get closer and closer. The hum of the airplane gave way to the screeching of the wheels touching down. The pulling force of braking sent her right back to gripping the armrests so tight her knuckles were turning white. The man graciously let her have both armrests, laying his hands in his lap while he closed his eyes and smiled slightly. The hum of the airplane came back then gave way to the sounds of passengers moving about, getting luggage from the overhead compartments and firing up their cell phones. 

Claressa made her way off the plane, through the terminal and found her way to a shuttle that took her to a different, smaller airport with smaller planes. There were only a dozen or so people waiting for the flight and Claressa was getting nervous. The plane didn’t look like it could hold more than twenty people, including the pilots.

“Excuse me,” Claressa said to the man behind the counter. “What is the capacity of one of these planes?” 

“This plane seats fifteen. I don’t believe this flight is full, so you should have some room,” he said. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Claressa shook her head and found a seat with her back to the tarmac. She tried not to think about the size of the airplane she was about to board. She questioned what she was even doing in Alaska. She thought about forfeiting whatever the inheritance was and going home, but the hassle of turning around with nothing to show for it was a bit too much. The possibility of getting out of debt early was too much to pass up, so she waited. 

“All passengers boarding Flight 203 to Kodiak Island, we are prepared to board you now,” the steward said in a loud clear voice. He was not using a microphone, but was instead talking directly to the small group of people waiting near the desk. Claressa watched the handful of people gather their personal items and form a line. She watched them walk out of the terminal and on the tarmac where the plane was waiting. 

“Miss,” the steward said. “This is your plane.” Claressa was close to tears. She didn’t move. The steward sat beside her. “It’s okay that you’re nervous, or even scared. No one is going to force you to get on this plane. I can tell you they are very safe and the pilot is very good. You have a little time before everyone is boarded if you want to sit a little longer.”

“Thank you,” Claressa said. “I’ll be alright. I just need to psyche myself up.”

They stood up and the steward escorted her out to the plane, where there were still a few people waiting to climb up the stairway. Claressa held onto the handrail tightly as she ascended the stairs, with the steward behind her. The other passengers were seated and there were several empty spaces. She chose two empty seats together and sat away from the window. She pulled down the shade as soon as she sat down, holding her backpack tight against her chest. 

“The flight is about an hour from take-off to landing,” the steward said. “I’ll be close by if you need me.” He smiled and walked away as Claressa closed her eyes and focused on breathing. She had never been good at meditating, it always put her to sleep. She saw this as a good thing at that moment because the one place she absolutely did not want to be was in that moment. Screw being present, she thought. She wanted a cocktail and to fall asleep.

“One hour, Claressa,” she said quietly to herself. “You can do this.”

The size difference between the planes was very noticeable from takeoff to landing. The ride was more bumpy than the last and at least one squeal of terror escaped her mouth. She caught it quickly and she was too scared to be embarrassed. Landing was rougher too. As she stepped off the plane she noticed how wide the runway wasn’t. She was shaking slightly as she made her way down the stairway. The steward gave her a congratulatory expression, holding his arms up in front of him a little as she stepped onto the ground. The air was chilly, even though it was the middle of July.

Claressa followed the line of yellow cones to the terminal building. She was glad to be on solid ground and inside a building where she could stretch out her arms if she wanted to, not that she wanted to. She walked up to a short, lightly brown skin woman wearing a modest teal dress, sensible shoes and a jean jacket. She was holding a hand written sign that read, ‘Claressa Heartwood.’

“Ms. Heartwood?” she said with a smile. Claressa nodded. “Hello, I’m Malee Waska. We spoke on the phone last week. Welcome to Kodiak and welcome to Alaska. I hope you brought a jacket or a sweater, you’ll probably find the temperature a little cold for this time of year.”

“I really didn’t think this through,” she said.

“Don’t worry about it. We can pick you up something on the way. Are you hungry?”

“Quite.”

They stopped at a little boutique shop and Claressa found a simple, but stylish jacket to help keep her warm. Malee insisted on paying for it with her company card of the jacket and lunch.

“Why, exactly, was I named in my great uncle’s will?”

“I don’t know the exact reason, I wasn’t there when the will was drafted by my predecessor. From what I can tell, your great uncle did not get along with any of his family. No one came to the funeral or the reading of the will.”

“I guess that’s why he lived so remotely. I have to admit,” Claressa said. “I was really uncomfortable on that small plane. How much further do we have to go today?”

“Well,” Malee started to say before taking a bite of her fish. “Here’s the thing. It’s not very far and it will only take another two or so hours to get there. However, and you’re not going to like this, we have to take one more plane to get there. Have you ever been in a seaplane before?”

“A what? A seaplane?”

“Yes.”

“Like, a plane that goes on the water?”

“It’s got pontoons like a boat and it takes off and lands on the water. It’s pretty common here to travel by seaplane. There are a number of charters that run year round. It’s a little scary, but I assure you it’s safe.”

Claressa was really regretting not bringing someone with her. She was expecting planes, cars and maybe a ferry. But a seaplane? That seemed too much. “Can we just take a boat?”

“We can,” Malee said. “But, that would take some time to arrange and it would probably be nearly a full day to get to the island.”

“Really? A whole day?”

“I’d have to check, but yeah. Boats don’t really go that fast.” 

The seaplane was at a separate dock just for planes, a short drive across to another island. Claressa was nervous the whole drive over. Malee tried to reassure her as best she could by telling her it’s a way of life in the more remote areas of Alaska. They walked down the dock, passing a few nice looking planes floating gently in the water, tied to the dock like she’d seen with boats. The cool breeze from the ocean made her pull her jacket tight around her and she could smell the ocean.

“Mr. Catcher, hello,” Malee said to a tall man standing on the pontoon of an orange painted seaplane. The pontoons were white, and under the wing were the words Sea Duck. Mr. Catcher waved at the women and stepped off the pontoon onto the dock. “Hello, I’m Malee and this is Claressa.”

“Hello there, nice to meet you both. Call me Robert,” he said, shaking their hands with a firm grip. He was wearing a leather bomber jacket, blue jeans and aviator sunglasses hanging out of the front pocket. “Everything is ready with the plane whenever you’re ready.”

“Are you sure this thing is safe?” Claressa said, looking at the plane. She was in no position to judge, and the plane looked to be in one piece without any damage to it aside from some chipped paint near the door.

“She’s in tip-top shape, miss. She gets regular maintenance and I’ve flown this route before.”

“She’s had a long day,” Malee said. 

“I understand. First time on a seaplane?” Claressa nodded. “They’re small but not that complicated. They don’t have the weight of larger planes so that’s going to make the ride less smooth. It’ll get a little bumpy, but you’ll be alright.”

Not completely convinced, she watched Robert help Malee into the plane and then hold out his hand to her. She didn’t move. He smiled and motioned with all of his fingers for her to come closer. Malee was getting comfortable in the back of the plane and she looked out at Claressa and patted the seat next to her. 

“Would you be more comfortable up front, Miss?” 

What an absurd question, she thought. Her mind raced with the thought of smashing nose first into the water and if it would be better to see it from the cockpit or four feet behind. Either way it was a terrible thought. And the water would be so cold.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. 

Malee got back out of the plane and walked up to Claressa, who was now further back on the dock. “We can cancel this flight if you want. I can start looking for a boat to take us the rest of the way, but that’s going to take time. Are you more comfortable traveling by boat?” Claressa shook her head. “I’ve done this many times, Claressa, and in an hour or so it’ll all be over.”

Robert helped her into the front seat of the plane. He wrote something down in a log book and flipped a few switches. The engine sputtered a few times before it completely engaged, sounding something like a large lawn mower or a small car. It was not reassuring for the prospect of air travel. She watched the propeller in front of the plane spin, slowly at first, then catch and pick up speed.

“Should the propeller spin faster than that?” Robert didn’t answer her and paid attention to the gauges on the dash. “Sea Duck,” Claressa said. “Isn’t that from the cartoon TaleSpin?” Robert smiled big enough to show his teeth. “Oh shit,” she said. He started to laugh. 

The plane glided across the water as they pulled away from the dock. Surrounded by bits of metal and sheets of glass, Claressa felt trapped. Her seat vibrated underneath her at a constant rate and she wasn’t sure if that was normal or if she was overly sensitive. Her stomach churned when she saw the water spread out in front of her. She’d only been on the ocean once in her life, when she went to the Oregon coast with her parents. They went on a whale watching tour and she spent most of the trip laying in the middle of the boat trying not to vomit. When the plane picked up speed, for a brief moment, she thought about saying a prayer, but she was too scared to let go of the armrests to make the form of the cross.

Her stomach sank lower than she’d ever felt before as the plane lifted itself off the water and they were airborne. She felt acute terror as she saw the sky in front of her in a way she had never seen before. The plane rocked back and forth a little as it gained altitude. She pushed her feet into the bottom of the plane and held onto the armrests as tightly. She couldn’t make herself close her eyes though; not knowing was far more scary. They leveled off and her stomach returned to its normal state. She released her death grip from the armrests and began to breathe again. Clouds appeared and disappeared as they careened straight through them. It was bumpy, but Robert was right; Claresssa felt much closer to flying that before. 

The thin metal frame of the seaplane was all that separated her from being a bird, soaring through the air. She was both afraid and elated when she looked out the side window and saw the islands and the water below. She didn’t feel like she was in an airplane. For one thing, it was much louder. Robert gave them each a headset so they could talk to each other, but Claressa didn’t pay any attention. She was more concerned with making the transition from flying to landing. Do they call it landing if you do it on water, she thought? Is it watering? Or, perhaps, gently crashing? 

The change in the atmosphere was palpable when Robert started to descend towards the water. He pointed across the cabin. “The island is just over there at two-o-clock,” he said. Claressa instinctively reached for her cell phone to check the time before she caught herself.

There it was. The island was round on one end and skinny on the other. She could see a house at the top of a hill and a small marina just on the other side. It had trees, empty fields of grass, some rocks and dirt; everything an island should have, really. It looked like it was just floating peacefully in the ocean from this altitude. It was getting closer, and bigger as they came in for a water landing. The change was more gradual than take off. On one hand that was better because it wasn’t changing all of the sudden, but on the other hand it felt like it took longer to happen. At least with takeoff it was over quickly.

The plane felt the resistance of the water as the pontoons made contact and she could hear water being sprayed up and out as the plane cut into the surface of the ocean. More and more of the pontoons pierced the water and the plane became stable again. Robert made a wide turn and the docks came into view. 

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Robert’s voice came through the headset.

Claressa was breathing heavily. “I don’t know if I’m an island person,” she said. “But I think I’m stuck here because I don’t want to fly ever again.”

“When you see the house,” Malee said. “You’ll never want to leave again.”