Flight

The economy plane commenced its decent. "But Daddy Daddy, the people really look like ants," the child said and pulled on his mother's sleeve. He smiled and nodded to the hostess and fastened the little boy's seatbelt. The cabin crew announced that the weather would be hot and that local time was half past six. The little boy started to cry. "Toby. Don't cry. Look it's because we're so high up in the sky that the people look so small."
"It's not Mummy. They're ants!" shouts the boy "They really are..."
A woman in a seat in front of them turned round and smiled a sympathetic smile. They felt the decompression in their ears. The plane shuddered and rolled slightly from side to side. The ice slwoly melted on the outside of the window as they flew through the light cloud cover. The boy started to cry. The the ground rushed up to meet them. They landed with slight jolt and there was an atempted cheer from some people at the front. They taxied towards the terminal. The captain's calm atuomated sounding voice thanked them over the intercom. The boy had started to scream.
"Toby be quiet."
Tired from their journey, the passengers around them ignored the noise and got their bags down from the luggage spaces. They queued obediently in the aisle as the steward tried to phone through to terminal control. She shrugged and held her hand over the mouthpiece. There was an impatient hiatus. Another child was screaming somewhere behind them. Another attendant said "Yes. Just open the door." She frowned at the screaming boy.
"Is everything ok Sir, Madam?"
"Yes yes thank you. He's just tired."
The door opened with a rush of compressed air. The small boy struggled to stay in the plane. They half pushed half lifted him out into the packed tunnel. They felt the heat. The boy screamed louder and tried to push his way back into the plane. Angry now the man dragged the boy by his arm round the corner and started up the slope to passport control. The woman shouted something. Passers-by looked blankly at them and pushed past. The clicking and rustling sound grew louder. The boy was flailing in his mother's arms now. Someone at the front of the crowd stopped and looked quizzically at his companion. Then others stopped too. The look on their faces registered no surprise as the enormous ravenous dark coloured ants filling the long dark tunnel hurtled towards them.