Ms. Locken felt a light touch on her shoulder.  The soft voice of the flight attendant penetrated her sleepy thoughts.

“Hmm?”  She asked.

“We’ll be landing soon.”  The attendant sounded slightly anxious.  “You asked that we wake you. . . can I get you anything?”

Ms. Locken rolled to her side, then into a sitting position. 

“No, thank you,” she said.  Then, “Wait– could you bring me a cloth to freshen up, and a fruit tray?”

The girl nodded, looking pleased, and stepped out of the tiny space.  She gently closed the privacy curtain behind her. 

Ms. Locken begin working the kinks out of her back and shoulder.  Even reclined, airline seat-beds were still airline fare.  She lay back onto the bed for a full-body stretch, and had to laugh at herself.  There was a time when flying like this would have been better than a fairy tale.

The attendent came and went, and she tidied up for landing.  Soon she was watching the plane rush toward the earth.  The pilot touched down gently, and she was escorted from the plane by smiling attendants.  The service supurb, as usual. 

She smiled as she walked quickly through the airport, carrying only a light bag.  The rest of her things would be sent directly to her suite.  Fame and money, she mused.  A wonderful combination when it came to smoothing travel. 

As she aproached the airport doors she heard an odd sound, like a flock of geese taking flight.  Now what could that be? Perhaps a . . . oh. 

She stopped and surveyed the crowd outside the airport doors.  Banners of “Looking for Locken”, and “Welcome Locken”, caught her eyes.  The crowd surged against the security guards, and the noise rose from soft honking sounds to the rush of an oncoming train.  They shouldn’t have known she was coming . . . there must have been a leak.

Ms. Locken sighed, and pulled out her cell phone.  Time to call in backup – she’d never get through that crowd on her own.  Fame and Money, indeed.

  

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