It was a routine flight, and Karen, a seasoned stewardess, had seen her fair share of odd moments in the air. But nothing could have prepared her for what she would encounter on this particular flight.
The plane had just reached cruising altitude when she heard faint crying coming from the lavatory. At first, she thought it might just be the sound of a distressed passenger, but something about it felt different. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she walked down the aisle toward the lavatory. The crying grew louder as she approached.
Karen knocked on the door gently, “Is everything okay in there?” The crying stopped abruptly, but no one answered. Concern mounting, she opened the door to find a young child, no older than five, sitting alone on the floor, looking up at her with wide, frightened eyes.
“Where are your parents?” Karen asked softly, kneeling down to the child. But the little one only shook their head, unable to speak.
As Karen helped the child out of the lavatory, she quickly realized the situation was even stranger: the child wasn’t listed on the passenger manifest. She immediately informed the captain, and a quiet search of the cabin was conducted. It became clear that the child had somehow slipped through unnoticed.
With the child safely in her care, Karen notified the authorities upon landing. After a tense investigation, it was discovered that the child had been aboard the plane without any guardians, stowed away in a way that no one could have anticipated.
Though shaken, Karen felt a sense of relief knowing she had followed her instincts and saved the child from an uncertain fate.
