Lena had a strange feeling while boarding the passengers on her latest flight. She felt like someone familiar had just boarded the plane and could not shake this uneasy feeling. While doing her rounds, she suddenly stared at a passenger who looked awfully similar to her late husband. How could this even be possible? When Lena approached him, she discovered a secret she wished she had never found out… Lena couldn’t take it anymore. She was done going around the elephant in the room and just had to know. So, she walked over to the man in seat fifteen. She was determined to ask him directly, but when she arrived at his seat, she froze. Was this really a good idea? The man looked at Lena and waited for her to say something. But all Lena could do was stand there. “Uhm, miss? Can I help you?” the man eventually asked. That seemed to snap Lena right back to reality. She composed herself and smiled at the man. “Yes, actually,” she said. “I think you can.” Lena explained to the man what was happening and what she had seen. She told the man about her late husband and noticed how his demeanor changed. Suddenly, he didn’t seem so kind anymore; he seemed hostile and offended. What was he hiding? But who was this strange man on the plane? What detail did Lena see? And why was he acting so strangely? Lena had been working as a flight attendant for over a decade. It was a job she loved, as it allowed her to travel the world and meet new people. However, her love for the job had been put to the test in recent years, ever since the passing of her husband. Her husband, Tom, had been a pilot for the same airline company, and the two of them had shared a love for flying. They had been married for over ten years when Tom passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Lena was devastated by the loss, and it had taken her a long time to come to terms with it. But now, as she walked down the aisle of the plane, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, and it made her uneasy. Then, as she made her way to the back of the plane, she noticed a man who looked awfully familiar. He sat at a window seat, facing the window. Lena could only see the shape of his head and body, but something about this man made her reluctant to get any closer. She stopped in her tracks and stared at him, trying to place where she had seen him before. It wasn’t until he turned his head that she realized why he looked familiar. He had the same brown eyes as her late husband. They also had the same brown hair, and the man wore a pair of jeans she was sure she had seen before. Lena’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a lump form in her throat. Lena quickly turned around and walked to her colleagues. They saw her pale face and immediately asked her what happened, but she was at a loss for words. “I need to sit down,” she eventually managed to say. Her colleague, Stacy, nodded and pulled out a seat. “Take your time.” After a few minutes, Stacy asked again what had happened. Lena was really shaken up, and she worried about her safety.  “I.. I’m not sure,” Lena mumbled. “That man… He..”  “He what?” Stacy worriedly asked. “What did he do?” “Nothing, he did nothing.. He just looks so… familiar.” Stacy frowned. “Familiar?” Stacy, who had worked with Lena for a few years now, had never seen her like this before. She knew she had dealt with terrible heartbreak after losing her husband, but she had been back on the job for several months, and it was going great. That was until now. “Which man do you mean?” she asked Lena. “The man that looks exactly like Tom,” she said, now with a more secure voice. She knew she sounded crazy, she heard it as she said those words, and she could see it on Stacy’s face. “Your late husband, Tom?” Stacy asked, confused. “Yes, I know how it sounds, but I know what I saw.” Stacy sighed. “Alright, you sit here, and I’ll talk to him.” She slowly made her way to the man and gently tapped him on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, sir, can I please see your boarding pass?” she asked kindly, hoping the man wouldn’t question her. The man paused for a second but then handed over his boarding pass. The pass was in the name of Mark Glitsh, which wasn’t the name of Lena’s late husband. Stacy gave the boarding pass back and thanked the man. When she walked back to Lena, she saw how nervous she looked. “I’m sorry, Lena. But that man isn’t your late husband. His name is Mark.” Lena sighed. She didn’t know if she felt relieved or disappointed, but she knew she had to let it go. Suddenly the seat belt sight jumped on, and everyone had to take their seats. It was time for lift-off and head to their destination. Lena made her rounds and ensured everyone had their belts on correctly. Then, it was time to fly. As the plane soared through the clouds, Lena couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. She kept glancing back at the man who looked like her late husband, wondering if she was going crazy. She tried to focus on her work, but something else caught her attention, a detail that made her blood run cold. It was a small detail, almost insignificant, but it was enough to make her heart race. The man’s ring. It was the same ring her late husband had worn every day—a silver band with a small diamond in the center. The man wore it on his ring finger, just as her late husband always did.  Lena tried to stay calm and professional, but her mind was racing. How could this be possible? Was it a coincidence? Or was there something more sinister at play? She desperately wanted to tell Stacy, but she knew she wouldn’t take her seriously anymore. No, she was on her own now. As the flight continued, Lena couldn’t help but observe the man closely. She watched as he read a book, sipped on a drink, and even dozed off for a few minutes. He seemed like any other passenger, but Lena couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about him. When it was time for the in-flight meal service, Lena found herself standing in front of the man’s row. She took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to speak to him. “Excuse me, sir, can I get you anything to eat or drink?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. The man looked up at her and smiled warmly. “No, thank you. I’m fine,” he said politely. Lena couldn’t help but notice how his smile was so similar to her late husband’s. She paused and stared at the man, who noticed and looked at her patiently. Then, she quickly turned away and continued with her duties. On her way back, she suddenly felt a slight tap on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself standing in front of the man again. He requested a glass of water, and Lena told him she would bring it shortly. As she handed him the water, she noticed his hand shaking slightly. That’s when she realized something was really off. It was as if the man was nervous or scared about something. Lena’s heart began to race, and she started to wonder what could be making the man so anxious. Was he hiding something? Was he in danger? Or was he just a nervous flier? Lena didn’t know, but she knew she had to find out. As the flight continued, Lena kept a close eye on the man, trying to gather any information that might give her a clue about what was going on. She noticed that he kept checking his phone every few minutes. The plane had wifi, so it wasn’t unusual for people to be on their phones, but he kept checking it as if he were waiting for an important message of some sort. Lena kept it in the back of her mind as it wasn’t significant enough to suspect him of anything yet. Stacy, who had closely watched Lena, noticed something was off about her. Lena tried to act as casually as possible, but Stacy looked right through her. She approached Lena and quietly asked her what she was doing. Lena tried to act confused about what she meant, but she knew she got caught. “Lena, please leave it alone,” Stacy asked. Lena sighed and looked down. “I know, I know, but something about the man seems off. He even wears the same ring Tom used to wear…” Stacy looked at her colleague with sorrow. Lena seemed confident that this man was really up to something. This man was definitely not Lena’s late husband, but what if he actually had an ulterior motive, and Lena noticed it because she was so focussed on him? His being her late husband couldn’t be the only reason for him behaving like this.  “Alright, Lena. I believe you,” Stacy eventually said. “He is acting a bit strange, but why?” Lena was pleasantly surprised by Stacy’s answer. She never expected her to agree like that, as she knew how crazy she sounded. But she was glad to hear it because now she wasn’t on her own anymore. Lena suggested that they ask the man directly. She was done beating around the bush. So, Lena confidently walked over to the man. But just as she did, the seatbelt sign turned on again, and the aircraft began to shake heavily. They experienced turbulence and not just a little bit. Lena had to rush back to the back and take a seat with her colleagues.  The man seemed to get spooked by the turbulence. He started sweating, and he gripped his armrests tightly. However, he wasn’t the only one. Many people started screaming and yelling. No one knew how long it would last and how severe it would get. Luckily, after about twenty minutes, the turbulence calmed down. Lena’s curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to take a risk. The seatbelt sign was still on, but it had settled so much that Lena could easily walk. She headed over to the man and asked if everything was okay. The man seemed surprised by her question and hesitated before answering. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry, but you seem nervous. Is everything okay?” Lena asked. The man looked up at Lena and seemed surprised by her question.  “No, actually. I’m not okay, and that’s not so weird, is it? There was heavy turbulence just a few minutes ago.” he replied indignantly. Lena could sense the man’s defensiveness, but she didn’t want to back down. She had to know if there was more to his behavior than just fear from the turbulence. “I understand, but it seemed like you were already nervous before the turbulence started. Is there something else going on?” Lena asked, trying to be as polite as possible. The man’s eyes darted around the plane, and he seemed very uncomfortable. Lena could tell he was trying to come up with a response. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice. “Look, it’s nothing. I’m just traveling for work, and I’m a little stressed out. That’s all, I swear.” Lena wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t want to push it any further. She thanked him for his time and walked back to her seat, feeling disappointed that she hadn’t gotten any closer to solving the mystery. Stacy looked at Lena, and Lena could tell she was wondering what had happened. Lena shook her head, indicating that she had gotten nowhere. She sat down next to Stacy again. They were almost at their destination, and time was running out. Lena knew she would never be able to contact the man after he exited the plane. She had to find a way to unravel the truth. That man was up to something, and Lena was determined to find out what. He looked just like her late husband, wore the same clothes, and even had the same ring as him. That couldn’t be a coincidence; there had to be more to the story. But how could she ever figure out the truth in such a short time? Well, it seemed like her questions were about to get their long-awaited answers because the mysterious man suddenly stood up and walked to the lavatory with his backpack in his hand. Lena frowned and wondered why he needed his backpack to go to the restroom, and when he failed to emerge after ten minutes, she knew something was off. Lena informed Stacy about what she had seen, and together they walked to the lavatory. They quietly knocked on the door, but no one answered. They waited another ten minutes before knocking again, but still, no answer. They looked at each other, and both frowned. What could be going on in there?  They knocked again, but this time harder.  “Mister, is everything okay in there? It’s been twenty minutes. Do you need help?”  It was now time to tell her other colleagues about what was going on. They had to find a way to get to the man, as something terrible could’ve happened without their knowledge.  The other passengers noticed the commotion by the lavatory, which raised concern along the plane. At this point, Lena realized they needed to take action and quickly. They consulted their standard operating procedures and decided to try unlocking the lavatory door from the outside using a special tool.  However, when they tried to unlock the door, they found it was stuck. So they tried again but with no luck. This raised their level of concern even higher, as they were unsure if the man was experiencing a medical emergency or if there was some other issue preventing them from unlocking the door. The flight attendants decided to contact the captain and explain the situation. The captain radioed ahead to the airline’s operations center and requested assistance. In the meantime, the flight attendants continued trying to communicate with the passenger through the door, but he still refused to answer. There was nothing else they could do but wait. Finally, after about 30 minutes of trying, the door suddenly unlocked from the inside. The passenger emerged, looking a bit disoriented but otherwise unharmed. He explained that he had accidentally dropped his phone down the toilet and had been trying to retrieve it, but Lena didn’t believe him. Why would he take his backpack with him? Luckily, the captain had already radioed ahead, so there would be police waiting for them at the airport. All they had to do now was keep the situation controlled so the other passengers wouldn’t notice. It was easy for chaos to erupt in such a small, confined space, which would do their situation no good. Lena stayed with the man while her colleagues picked up their duties again. She could see the man’s nervousness and knew it wasn’t over yet. She looked at him again and then at his ring. The man noticed and hid his hand in his jacket pocket. “Sir, you have to tell me what’s going on, please.” The man looked like he was in pain. He looked scared and confused, unlike someone willingly planning something dangerous. “Sir, we can help you, but only if you inform us about what is going on.” The man sighed and took his hand from his pocket to sit on it. “You have to help me,” he quietly whispered.  They were finally getting somewhere. “Of course, sir. What can we help you with?” The man eventually opened his backpack, and Lena’s eyes widened with shock. There was a small device inside the bag that looked like a bomb of some sort. Lena quickly calmed herself down and took a deep breath. It was up to her to defuse the situation, so she calmed the man down and asked him where he got the bomb from, but he refused to answer. Lena knew that she had to act fast, or else the bomb might go off, causing a disaster. Her heart raced as she desperately tried to make eye contact with Stacy. Finally, Stacy seemed to notice Lena’s scared expression. She hurried to Lena’s side, and Lena calmly explained the situation they were in. Stacy gasped in shock and looked inside the bag to confirm the crazy story, but there was no way around it. There was a ticking bomb inside that bag, and they had to disarm it as soon as possible.  Lena ordered Stacy to inform the pilot of their finding and told her to act casually. No one else could know of this danger on board the plane, or else all hell would break loose. Stacy nodded and headed to the pilot. Lena focussed on the man again, but this time not on the bomb, but on his ring. “Sir, I couldn’t help but notice your ring,” she said, pointing at the man’s hand.  “Uh, yes, what about it?” he replied agitatedly. “My late husband wore the exact same one around the same finger, so I wondered where you got it from.” “The man frowned. “That’s none of your business, ma’am.” Lena wanted to ask more, but Stacy returned. She brought a screwdriver and a pair of pliers with her, as well as one of the passengers. Lena asked what she was doing and why she informed a passenger about the situation, but Stacy had a very good reason for doing so.  The passenger worked for the FBI bomb squat, and they were lucky enough that he was on board the plane. He had sensed the nervous energy among the flight attendants and had asked Stacy what was happening. She had hesitated to tell him, but after he informed her about his profession, she had no other choice.  The passenger looked at the bomb and told Lena he would be able to disarm it with the pliers and screwdriver. Lena kept watch to make sure none of the other passengers noticed what was going on, and Stacy continued with her usual duties. It was a very stressful moment. Just as the plane descended to land, the passenger managed to disarm the bomb. The flight attendants sighed in relief, but it wasn’t over just yet. As soon as they landed, the plane was swarmed by police officers. They arrested the man, and suddenly the passengers realized what had happened in the air. A big commotion erupted as the passengers realized they were kept in the dark about something so dangerous. Still, they were happy that the situation was defused so quickly. Everyone was safely escorted off the plane, and psychological help was offered to everyone involved. Lena felt proud of what she had done, but she also felt a sense of loss. When the plane took off, deep down, she had hoped it was really her husband on the plane. It was like a part of her had been hoping for something more, something that would bring her closer to her late husband. But instead, it escalated into something she never imagined to ever experience. Lena gathered her things and walked off the plane. This had been a scary experience, but it taught her to listen to her gut and follow her instincts. The man was sentenced to prison for his actions. It was later revealed that the ring he wore was actually a stolen family heirloom but not connected to Lena’s late husband, Tom.