3ero(ELEMENTAL)Esba

THE PLANE


Early next morning the man left the village where he had spent the night. He took the narrow, winding country road which he knew led to a small town some twelve miles away. After walking for two hours, he came to a path which cut across country and led directly to the town. Leaving the road, the man passed through a gate and was soon walking along the path. The fields were deserted. To the left and right of the path, corn sheaves were arranged in neat rows. The only sign of human habitation was a small farmhouse across the fields where the brilliant morning sun was reflected in the windows.

Suddenly the man heard the low hum of an engine. At first he thought that it must be a car travelling along the road he had recently left. He expected the noise to fade away in the distance. Instead, it grew louder and louder and seemed to be coming from above. He looked up quickly and saw an aeroplane cutting a crazy zig-zag path across the sky. It disappeared for an instant behind some clouds, the emerged and plunged towards the field. The aeroplane was coming towards him. He gazed at it terrified and immediately took cover in a small hollow in the field, his eyes following the course of the aeroplane the whole time. As he watched it, he felt sure it would crash and burst into flames before his eyes. Then, as if by miracle, it pulled out of the dive and touched down on the field. The aeroplane bounced wildly across the uneven ground carrying away anything that lay in his path. In a matter of seconds, it crashed through a hedge only a few yards away from where the man was crouching. After that, all was still. The man stood up dazed. For a moment he thought of running to the farmhouse and asking for help; but he changed his mind and rushed towards the gap in the hedge.