Another day, another flight. -- Image by < Image by Tung Lam from Pixabay
A Modern Retelling of "Jonah & the Whale"
John Parker hated airports. Hated the crowds, the announcements, the endless lines at Starbucks, overpriced food, free Wi-Fi that was as slow as dial-up, and most of all, having to pay for the convenience of TSA Precheck.
On top of that, he absolutely hated being told where he had to go.
Which is ironic, because John was a consultant with a large consulting firm who spent most of his life flying from one contract to the next.
It was a delightful sunny morning, except for the fact that John was sitting in a large airport terminal. Sipping on his lukewarm, slightly burnt coffee, because he did not want to stand in the long Starbucks line, he started to patiently scroll through his inbox.
The company he did most of his consulting for sent him a request. The email asked him to go to Detroit and speak at a nonprofit group. This was a youth program, and he wanted his experience to guide the youth on the ethics in business and living life with a purpose.
John rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "Detroit? Are you kidding me? And at base pay!"
He did a lot of consulting work outside of this company, then the thought continued, "I have been contacted by a large casino in Las Vegas for a really nice consulting gig, and it pays really well."
John ignored the email about Detroit and kept his flight to Las Vegas.
He strutted into Terminal B with his roller bag, sunglasses, and first-class ticket. There was still about an hour until boarding.
Oh, Mother Nature, what webs you weave. While John was scrolling through his favorite social media account, the sky darkened. Then the first crack of thunder rumbled through the airport.
John looked outside, "Are you kidding me?"
Before any other thought could roll through his mind, the announcement, "Flight AA88h has been delayed." He looked at the flight board, and all flights were switching to delayed.
John groaned. He stretched out on the stiff seats by Gate 27, muttering, "Figures. God Himself probably doesn't want me to have fun."
The storm raged on, but wasn't done yet. Sirens went off, and people were being directed to the center mall away from the wings and the glass. This was a tornado warning. The lights went out. You could hear the glass breaking. The roar of the wind was nearly deafening. Yet, it was far enough away that the people in the center mall barely felt a breeze.
Then there was silence. But you could feel the warm, humid air bubbling up from the nearby wing that was half gone. You knew it wasn't done.
Airport security was telling everyone to stay calm and remain where they are. Thunder could be heard in the distance, then another one louder. The next storm is approaching.
John finally dozed off.
He dreamed, and it was a horror of a dream. John was in the airport, with no damage to be seen. But the entrance to the south wing turned into a large monster face trying to eat him. He ran to the Escalators, which were stalled, and he could not see the end of the steps. They seemed to go on forever. The vending machines grew legs and tried to chase John back to the monster wing. He could feel his shoulder shaking by the vending machines…
There were flashing lights, then this face was looking at him, "Wake up, Wake up! You were screaming in your sleep."
John was able to focus and saw that the man waking him was airport security. He asked the security man, "Is it over? Can we leave now?"
The airport security man looked at John, "No, it was really bad. Exits are blocked and, for our safety, we are to shelter in place until the Fire and Rescue team can safely extract us."
Three days. That's how long he was stuck there. Eating bland MREs, pacing around the center mall area, the dim emergency lights left an eerie feel, and the Airport security, noting the restlessness of the people, repeated often to stay calm, help is coming.
Finally, he could hear cheering in the distance, and it was getting louder. Help was coming.
Exhausted, mentally broken, John got up from the hard cement floor.
The rescuer told John that he could go to a hotel or get bused across the city to the other airport. John simply said, "The other airport, I'm supposed to go to Detroit, and I'm late."
The bus ride was uneventful, except for observing the massive damage to the airport. At the other airport, a lone flight to Detroit was boarding at Gate 12. He stumbled on, bleary-eyed.
When he arrived, the youth program director greeted him like family. Knowing of his plight, he took John to the hotel, where he was upgraded to a suite. Told him to sleep, we will convene at brunch tomorrow.
Brunch was awesome, the best food he has had in days. The youth program director asked if John was ready. He just said, "Yes."
John gave a talk he hadn't planned — raw, honest, unpolished — and the room leaned in. Teens nodded, some cried, but all listened intently. They stood up and applauded John when he had finished.
The airplane for Las Vegas was found about a mile away at the end of the runway, shattered and broken. That is what an F5 tornado can do.
The storm that John went through those three days was just as tough. With all that transpired, he realized maybe for the first time: this was exactly where he was supposed to be.
John often would reflect on the three-day disaster, then the joy he found in working with the youth, and perhaps for the first time, John didn't mind the bad coffee or a delayed flight.
Based on the Book of Jonah
Synopsis:
In the original story, Jonah flees God's call to preach in Nineveh, but after being swallowed by a great fish, he relents and fulfills his mission. This retelling swaps the ocean for Terminal B, showing how we can't outrun purpose — delays, detours, and all.
Tap to read the actual bible passage:
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