The large engines on the Boeing 747 come to life as the immense plane starts to advance down the paved runway. The plane quickly gains speed, and the engines grow louder. Billy Rogers, looks outside his small cabin window, to see a winter wonderland. Everything is covered in pure, white snow. Everything seems cold, sad and gloomy as fog fills the cold air. The plane’s nose starts to slowly lift of the ground, and soon the whole plane is in the air. Billy can see the Newark airport grow smaller, and smaller. It reminds him of his beloved family in New York, quickly growing distant by the minute. Billy can see the whole city. He wonders if he can spot his Mom, driving away from the airport. He peers out the plane’s small window until the clouds cover the entire sky below him. Billy didn’t want to go this vacation. He wanted to stay in his cozy home with his family. It was his mom’s decision to send Billy off to Hawaii. Times were tough for the family, and she wanted him to stay away for a while. She thought it was best for him.

Billy lays back into his seat and gives thought to many things. He thinks about his friends back home, about his family, but most off all he wonders about Hawaii. Would it be like in the pictures back home? Would it be beautiful, covered with palm trees and exotic flowers? Billy wonders if his uncle there would be nice, and welcoming. He had never met him before, but his mom assured him that everything would be fine. Billy starts to think about his dad. A sad feeling comes over him like a cold blanket of snow. Why did he have to go? Why did he have to leave us like that? he wonders. Deep childhood memories of his dad flood his mind. Billy starts to doze off again, when suddenly, he feels a warm hand touch his shoulder. Billy looks over to find a young flight attendant smiling down at him.

"Would you like something drink? We have apple juice, orange juice, water, and soda." she offers him as she brings up the beverage cart.
"Apple juice please." Billy silently croaks in a barely audible voice. Billy was quiet and shy. He never really talked much. He wasn't exactly the social kind of person. The flight attendant pours the juice into a plastic cup, and hands it to Billy.

"Thank you," he says in a soft tone.

"You’re very welcome. You know, I can tell you’re a good kid. Enjoy your flight honey.” smiles the flight attendant as she moves back down the aisle.

For the next 3 hours of flight, Billy reads a short book, and watches a movie. He starts to get a little sleepy, sets his glasses in the seat pocket and falls asleep. Billy dreams of his goals in life. He wants to be a writer when he grows up. He wants to have a family, have children, and a wife to live with for the rest of his life. He wants to be happy. Billy dreams happily until he is awakened by a loud blast. Billy looks around, but everything seems normal. He slowly looks out his cabin window. He spots a red glow out of the corner of his eye. He looks over to see the left engine on fire. The engine is bursting in flames. Balls of fire are rushing out of the engine, and pieces of metal are crumbling off the crippled motor. Billy’s eyes open wide in astonishment. He is frozen fear. A lady sitting in the row behind him looks out her window and spots the fiery engine.

“Oh my gosh, the the engine is one fire! The engine is on fire! Look at the wing, oh my gosh it’s on fire!” she violently screams as her voice echoes through the plane. Everyone in the plane instantly panics as they observe the burning engine and wing. Everyone and everything is frantic. Screams are heard from the front off the plane and many people start crying in fear. Then, an announcement is made from the pilots on board.

“Passengers and crew please listen up, do not panic, I repeat do not panic. This aircraft is made to fly on only one engine. I repeat this aircraft is built to safely fly on one engine. We are aware of the situation and we will be touching down at the nearest airport. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you.” Billy as well as the other passengers on board are relieved to hear the news. The plane grows silent.
“We’re alright everybody! We’re going to be safe!” shouts one of the flightcrew members.

Suddenly, a similar explosion is heard from the other side of the plane. Billy watches as the lady across from him turns bright blue. He slowly peers out the window across from him to see the other engine in flames. If it was bad before, now it’s worse. There is complete chaos among the passengers. People scream, shout, cry, and some even pray. Billy is completely frozen and traumatized. All of the chaos and panic makes him feel sick and scared. A nearby lady spots Billy, and sits next to him. She holds his hand and says a prayer aloud. Billy can feel her warm hand, touch his cold, pale skin. For a second, everything seems alright, everything seems calm, and everything seems normal. Then a sudden sound of bending metal is heard. The plane goes quiet as the Billy observes as the left wing starts to break off the airplane, due to the intense heat of the fire. Crack! The wing breaks off and from that point on the plane stops flying. The plane is literally falling from the sky, spinning in violent rotations. The plane is now just a piece of metal which falls from the sky. Billy, along with the other passengers are being pushed against their seats due to the immense g-force exerted by the spiral. All Billy can see are blurry object spinning round and round. He starts to feel dizzy. Vivid images of his mom and family flash before his eyes. He can even see images of his dad before him. Tears fall from from his eyes due to the vivid hallucinations. He pictures his mother grieving for his death. This tears him apart. The plane is shaking violently and Billy knows that the plane will soon touch down into the middle of the ocean. He knows the end is near. He experiences an emotional state in which he has never been in before. The plane continues to spiral downwards like a fierce tornado. Billy says his goodbyes, and closes his eyes ready to slam down into the Atlantic ocean. It is all over. Boom!

Darkness, that is what Billy sees. He isn’t sure if he’s alive or dead, but all he can see is blackness. Billy begins to feel something cold trickling up his body. He begins to smell something burning. Billy starts to feel a stinging sensation down his arm. Billy realizes he had survived the plane crash. Waves of different emotions hit Billy like a tsunami. The first wave, brings joy, relief, and astonishment. Then the second wave hits. Billy wonders where he is. Am I trapped somewhere? How do I get out? he wonders. Billy questions if there are any other survivors. There must be more, and I have to find them. Billy starts to slowly and carefully feel around with his hands. Soon, he comes in contact with a cold, piece of metal. Billy tries to push it out of the way, will all his might, but the piece of metal won’t move. Billy then decides to keep on walking through the darkness. His legs splash into cold water, and his shoes sink into what he thinks is sand. Billy spots a bit of light coming out of an opening up ahead. He has finally found his way out. He carefully approaches the medium sized gateway to freedom. He takes a deep breath and steps through the small opening. From the moment he steps out of the darkness he realizes, he did not only step into freedom, but cold reality. This is where the third wave of emotions crashes into Billy. As Billy takes a look around him he observes the worst sight he has ever experienced in his life. As he steps onto the beach of a tropical island he can see the fuselage of the aircraft split into a million peices. Billy sees parts of the the wreckage in flames, and luggage floating in the clear water. Worst of all, Billy witnesses a sight so horrific that it will change him forever. Bodies are floating everywhere, and the remains of blood stained clothing drift through the water. The smell of rotting flesh and burning gasoline infiltrates Billy’s nostrils. Billy looks around him, he doesn’t see any other people alive. All he sees is the wreckage of the plane, the plane that once flew through the air. Emotions start flooding Billy’s mind. Sadness, fear, shock, and depression hit Billy all at the same time. His feels as if his body is being spun by a strong hurricane. His whole life twirls around him, and soon Billy is so overwhelmed that he blacks out, right on the very beach.
Billy wakes up to the same terrible scene that he fell to. So many thoughts are going through his mind. What am I going to do? Did all the people die on board except me? Am I the only survivor? What happened to the pilots? What happened to the plane? Why did the engines explode. Where am I? Billy remembers the lady in the plane who tried to comfort Billy. He remembers the flight attendant who had been so kind to him on the plane before. Billy knows that they are dead.

Billy gets up and tries to pull everything together. He tries not to look towards the ocean, where most of the wreckage is floating. Instead Billy turns around and faces the tropical island in which he now stands. There are palm trees everywhere and exotic flowers decorate the land. There are far away mountains and a thick forest of trees and bushes. Billy finds an old pair of glasses under a strand of seaweed. They have a small crack spread across one of the lens, and a gold rim. Billy tries the glasses on, since his old glasses were lost in the crash. Billy decides that it is time to move out of the beach. He knows he has to make some sort of shelter before night fall. He takes one last look at the scene of the plane crash and heads out on his journey. Billy plans on heading to the other side of the island, in search of civilization and rescue. With only a few wet clothing, broken glasses, and a plastic bag, Billy heads out into the vast wilderness.

Billy wanders through the forest, alert for any sign of civilization, yet the only thing he sees is the vast, neverending jungle before him. Thirty minutes pass and Billy is already exhausted from walking through the jungle and realizes he is dehydrated. The humid air beats down onto Billy, who now keeps an eye out for water as he slowly walks through the jungle. The birds and the crickets chirp as the sound of nature comes to life. Billy looks around him, the jungle is beautiful but very confusing, with a thousand twist and turns that make it impossible for him to remember from where he came from. Up ahead, lies an opening, with white light seeping through the trees. Billy is enticed by the beautiful light and follows it until he reaches a clearing. There, lying in the middle of the small opening, lies a small stream of water. He rushes towards the stream and kneels down. Billy quickly cups his hands into the water and lifts them up toward his dry mouth.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” says deep voice just as Billy opens his mouth to drink the clear the water. Billy jolts up spilling the water everywhere and looks behind him.

He finds a man standing about five yards away from him wearing nothing but some raggy shorts and a blue cap. He is bald and has blue eyes. For a moment Billy stands there, ready to run if needed, but the strange man just smiles at him.

“Don’t worry, I’m a survivor too. I won’t hurt you.” he whispers in a soft tone. Billy is relieved to know that he isn’t the only one who survived. The man slowly approaches Billy. He takes out a silver tin and carefully hands it to Billy. Billy slowly reaches out cautiously, grabs the tin can, and backs away shyly.
“Drink it,” the man says, “It’s been boiled so that it’s safe to drink.” Billy takes the cup examines it and drinks it. He feels as the cool water drips down his dry throat. It refreshes his whole body, and he feels like new. Billy hands the silver tin back to the man as he awkwardly stands there, as if expecting the man to say something.
“When the plane crashed it broke into two pieces, and I flew out my seat and into the water. It was a true miracle that I didn’t hit anything as I flew out. When I swam ashore, I found the rest of the plane floating in the water. There weren’t any other survivors, when I got there. I thought I might have been the only one, so I left in search of rescue. Then I saw you wandering through the jungle, and I knew that I wasn’t the only one. Look, I know that you’ve been through something no one should have to go through. I’m so sorry.” says the man. Billy nods and looks towards the ground.
“Oh and by the way the name's Davis." the man says as he reaches out for a handshake.
“Mine is Billy,” Billy responds softly as shakes the man’s hand. So many thought are going through Billy's mind as he takes in the quick turn of events. I’m so glad that I am not the only survivor! If Davis and I stick together, we’ll surely survive. I wonder if Davis has a shelter set up. It gets cold at night and we’ll need a fire, but if Davis said he boiled water, then he probably has made one already.
“Here, come with me, I think I might have something you will very much like.” Davis suddenly tells Billy. Billy doesn’t know what to think and he starts to follow Davis through the trees. As the two walk through the dark forest, Davis brings up a troubling topic to Billy.

“Billy, I’d like to get to know you better, now that we’re going to be traveling together. I’ll tell you a bit about myself. I’m from Ohio, and I am a 39 year-old dad of three. I have three daughters; Elena, Tori, and Abby. I miss them more than you could imagine. So how about you Billy?” questions Davis as lifts his stare into Billy’s eyes. Billy feels uncomfortable talking about his family because it makes him emotional. It remind him of his dad. The dad that meant everything to Billy. The dad that nourished and loved Billy before he left. This tears Billy apart, but he finally finds enough courage to respond,

“Well…. I’m twelve years old, and…. I live in New York, with my Mom and my two baby brothers.”
“Alright Billy, well this might sound crazy, but I want you to try to forget your family. Don’t think about your mom, or your brothers. You see Billy…. I’m a psychologist, and I know for a fact that thinking too much about one’s family at this time, will cause depression and sadness to take over. Now we don’t want that to happen, so let’s try to focus on the given task which is surviving.” explains Davis as he pats Billy softly on the back. Billy slowly nods his head and continues forward. The two survivors walk on through the dark forest, where it is extremely hot and humid. After about a fifteen minutes of strenuous hiking past trees, and over roots, Billy and Davis finally arrive to their destination.
“So, this is it. I know it’s not much, but at least it’s something.” adds Davis as the two observe a small improvised shelter. It is made out of small branches, and leaves that were evidently collected from the forest trees. It is about the size of a small car, but it is very impressive. Davis leads the way into the small shelter, by crawling through the small opening.

As Billy enters the shelter he spots a lit campfire in the center, along with an improvised bed made out of dirt and leaves. Along the sides of the wooden walls lay random objects such as clothes, jewelry and food cans that seemed to be recovered from the wreckage.
"So what do you think?" inquires Davis as he settles down onto one of the improvised beds.
“It’s amazing!” gasps Billy in astonishment as he starts to gain confidence. Davis sits down onto his improvised bed. It even looked comfortable.

"Here, have a seat on the bed. It might not look too comfy, but trust me, it really is after having a heck of a walk." invites Davis as he scoots over to the side, making room for Billy to sit on. As Billy bends down to sit on the bed, he realizes how kind Davis has been to him. Davis; a man, a complete stranger, had helped him immensely. Davis didn’t have to sacrifice his privacy in his shelter for Billy. Davis wasn’t forced to give Billy some of his precious water, but he did and Billy feels extremely grateful for that. Time quickly passes as Billy and Davis sit on the improvised bed. Billy can’t help but think about his future, the plane crash and this family.

It is getting dark outside and orange glare of the sun is becoming evident, when Davis finally says,

“I don’t know about you Billy, but I’m hungry. Why don’t you grab any of those canned foods around us. There are soups, stews, and fruits. I’ll start to get the fire ready, but first I’ll go gather the water from the stream. I’ll be right back, just stay put.” Billy nods and starts to have a look at the canned foods. He decides that the stew looks the most appetizing and opens it. He tries a bit of the cold stew and almost vomits. He decides to wait for Davis. He sits back down and quietly waits. He can picture his mother, silently crying and praying for him. Billy questions if there are rescuers, searching for survivors in the area. He wonders if he should light a fire outside the hut so that planes passing by can see him. Billy had already figured out that this was some sort of tropical island and he knew that it was most likely one of the small islands close to Hawaii. He wondered if his uncle was searching for him now.

After about an hour of waiting for Davis to come back, Billy starts to get worried. Where did he go? Why is he taking so long? The walk to the stream is only about half an hour. Billy starts to pace back and forth between the wooden walls of the shelter. He starts to shake in fear, he doesn’t want to be left alone again, in the darkness. What if something happened to him? What if he never comes back? His mind becomes frantic and panics. Billy rushes outside the shelter’s cozy walls and into the dark wilderness. Billy cups his hands together and tries to get a sound out, but he chokes. He wants to yell at the top of his lungs, but he can’t. All he can get out are soft screeches, that echo through the forest.
He’s gone! He is actually gone. Billy wearily walks back into the shelter, and slams down onto the bed. He closes his eyes, tries to block the tears forcing their way out. Billy waits and waits, until he falls asleep.

The next day, Billy wakes up, hoping that Davis is sleeping in the shelter. He is hoping that a miracle has happened; but there is no miracle. Billy is only accompanied by the chirps of the birds and the light from the morning sun. Billy feels an immense dread as he drags his body outside and collapses to the ground. Billy lays there in disappointment and despair. Why has this happened to me? Why? Oh lord, what have I done to deserve this? First, the plane crash, and now, the hope of surviving? Why? Billy lays on the ground thinking of Davis. He starts to picture his three daughters receiving the terrible news. Billy truly wonders what happened the night before. If Davis is alive, he would’ve been back by now. Did he get attacked by some sort of animal? Did he fall into a ditch? There are so many possibilities that Billy decides it’s not worth counting them all. Billy lays in the wilderness, and falls into one of his daydreams. In the midst of all his thoughts and wishes, Billy finds a brim of hope that hadn’t occurred to him before.

What if Davis got lost? Yes, Davis did know the route very well, but maybe not during the night. Perhaps the darkness disoriented Davis. Perhaps he is lost somewhere right now. What if he fell and is injured? I must find him! I'm not just going to stand here, like I always do. I'm going to do something about it! Billy rushes up and sprints into the shelter. He gathers food and clothing into a plastic bag and rushes out, ready to find Davis. But as soon as he stumbles out of the shelter, he realizes that he has no idea where he is or where he came from. Billy tightly holds his head and spins in circles frantically trying to remember, from where he came from. He looks around the shelter and recognizes a strange looking tree. He runs in that direction believing it is the correct one. Billy sprints through the forest, dodging roots and trees. Davis you gave me a shelter, gave water and food. Now, I will try to return the favor. Just please hang on, wherever you are! Billy rushes through the forest determined to find and possibly rescue Davis. After minutes of sprinting through the forest, Billy is tired and starts to have second thoughts on whether he is going the right way. He stops and looks around him. The never ending forest intimidates Billy, and he realizes that he is now lost as well. What was I thinking? Rushing into the forest like that, was a terrible idea. Billy hits himself in frustration. He is now as doomed as ever. Just as things start to collapse, Billy hears loud bang. He doesn’t know what it is, but he believes that it is man made. Without hesitation, Billy storms off in the direction of the loud bang. He sprints through the forest, through the trees, with the sign of hope flashing through his mind. Billy well knows that the loud noise could have been anything, but at this point, he doesn’t have any other choice. He rushes past trees, past plants, past streams, ditches, and flowers. He doesn’t stop, he can’t stop, he needs to get find Davis. He needs to find Davis now. Billy isn’t in control anymore. He wants to stop and take a breath, but he can’t. He keeps on running and running. The adrenaline overwhelms Billy. All he can see are blurred trees rushing past him. Billy has never felt so confused and out of control. Billy runs and runs non stop until he finally reaches the edge of the island. He can see the beach, and the ocean. Billy can hear a loud chopping sound distort the air above him. He doesn’t stop and look behind him or above him. Billy keeps on running until he reaches the white sand near the ocean water. Billy kneels down into the soft sand and collapses. He looks behind him, to find a helicopter, marked with a clear red cross, hovering down. That’s the last thing Billy sees before he faints into the sand.


Billy is in a strange place. He is in place where everything is white and there is peace. He looks over to find his father looking at him with a smile. Billy tries to speak and say that he loves him, to say that million things that he never told him. He wants to rush over and hug him and never let him go. He wants to be with him. He wants to ask him why he left. He wants something, anything, but as always, the white starts to be replaced by black and the peace is disturbed by noise. Billy wakes up to find his mother standing above him, with tears in her eyes.
Billy is in a small bed, and has clear wires hooked up to his nostrils.

“Mom, is this a dream?” croaks Billy as he faces her.

“No, Honey it’s not. Thank God it’s not.” softly says his mom as she bends down and hugs Billy tightly. He can smell the perfume on her cheeks and can feel her pale skin. He can tell that she has been crying a lot.
“Where am I? How did I get here?” questions Billy.
“You’re in the hospital Honey, everything is going to be alright. You’re safe. The doctors said that you were severely dehydrated, but now you’re okay. ” she responds softly.
“And what about Davis?!” he suddenly explodes, as he leans up and stares at her mother, who is surprised by Billy’s sudden outbreak.
“Oh….I don’t…. who’s Davis?” she asks Billy.
“No. No, no, no. This can’t happening!” screams Billy, “He is the reason for why I’m still alive right now. He gave me shelter, food, water, and inspiration. He was a great man, and now he’s….”
“I’m so sorry Billy, but rescuers never found anyone other than you away from the plane crash, I’m so sorry. Do, want to talk about…. everything now?” she tries to comfort Billy.
“No….it’s hard to remember a lot of it right now. I’m sure it will come back to me….but Davi….” croaks Billy with noticeable sadness in his voice.
“Oh, Honey, I want you to know that I love you and I’m truly sorry for what happened to you. A young child like you should never have to go through something so horrific. Does, anything hurt or bother you?”
“Well….It’s just that….Davis deserved more. He had three little girls waiting for him back home. He disappeared at night and I got scared. I looked for him, but I could find him. I ran, and ran through the forest. And then….I just blacked out. I have no idea how you guys found me. I failed Davis.”
“Billy, it wasn’t your fault. You were severely dehydrated. The doctor says that you were acting very abnormally when they rescued you. You just ran past their helicopter and blacked out in the sand. You were probably hallucinating.” his mom explains.
“So….I lost control?”
“Yes, Billy. But that doesn’t matter. You’re safe and that’s what is important.”
“Mom, it’s not. All those people on that plane died, except me. And you’re saying it doesn’t matter! Those people had a life ahead of them. If I deserve to live then why don’t they? And Davis, he isn’t important either? He saved my life, whether he was real or not!” he explodes. Billy is astonished with himself. He was always a quiet kid, and now he is yelling at his mother. He goes along with it.
“Billy I wasn’t trying to say that. All I wanted to say is that I’m so happy to be with you once again. I missed you so much, and even though it’s only been two days, you’ve changed so much. I want you to know that I love you, Billy, more than you could ever imagine.” she says as she tightly hugs Billy.
Suddenly a man in a white shirt comes into the room. He looks down at Billy.

“So, I hear you have quite a story to tell young man. I’m doctor Robert. How do you feel?” the doctor questions Billy.

“I’m feeling fine.” Billy responds blankly, with his chest still heaving.

“No nausea, or headache?”

“No, I think I’m good.”

“Well in that case I guess you can leave. You seem to be hydrated now, so you can go when you want to. Have a good day!” says the doctor as he disappears through the doorway.

Billy and his mom leave the hospital that day and take a flight back to New York. When they get there, dozens of news stations want to interview Billy. Billy normally wouldn’t have accepted the interviews but he feels stronger and changed, so he does. He knows that doing an interview is a life changing event and experience. His first interview will be with CBS and he will be on live television. The interview will take place in Michigan so Billy and his family fly there. They stay in a motel near a beautiful lake. The interview will take place in the early morning so Billy decides to go to bed early.

The day of the interview wakes up and looks out his window. He can see future ahead. So….he puts on his glasses ---looks out over the lake and his life was never the same again.