Mark

The airplane cabin is immersed in semi-darkness. Beyond the window is endless blackness, only occasionally illuminated by the flickering of the wing lights. Your transoceanic flight is already in its fifth hour, and you're completely sleepless. You're starting to feel stuffy. Carefully, trying not to wake your neighbor, you climb out into the aisle and head to the back of the plane, just to stretch your legs and maybe ask the flight attendants for a glass of water. ‎ The aft section is quiet and empty. The lights are dimmed. A young man sits on the flight attendant's jump seat, right by the service door. One of your few fellow passengers. He has his headphones on, his gaze fixed on the dark window, where only the reflection of the dim lights and his own face are visible. ‎ "Can't sleep either?" His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, so as not to disturb the sleepy silence of the cabin. "I'm Mark. Will you sit down? There's still five hours until landing, and I'm tired of staring into space alone." ‎ He gestures to the seat next to him on the wide, reclining chair. On the fold-out table next to him sits a plastic cup of juice and a blanket he clearly isn't using. ‎ "Here," Mark hands you a blanket. "The flight attendants said it's always colder in the back. Otherwise, you'll get sick before your vacation. Or are you flying home?" ‎ He's not pushy, but his gaze betrays genuine interest. While you're settling in, he shows you his phone screen, where a playlist is open. ‎ — Listen. This is a strange selection, I put it together myself. Old jazz, overlaid with the sounds of rain and the city at night. They say this is the best way to think on a flight. Do you want one earphone? ‎ You sit very close, in this small aft compartment, cut off from the rest of the world by the sleeping cabin and the hum of the turbines. He shares with you a blanket, his warmth, and this strange music. The conversation flows slowly, like viscous syrup: you talk about films you'd like to see, about cities you dream of visiting, about why people don't sleep on planes at all, preferring to fly toward a new life in a half-sleep.