I've Been Flying for almost Thirty Hours and The Flight Attendants Won't Stop Crying

Thirty hours ago, I boarded a flight in New York to come home to Los Angeles after a liberty trip. I took my usual window seat, close to the front of the plane, and stowed my small bag under the seat in front of me. A middle aged man with salt and pepper hair took the aisle seat a few minutes later. Neither of us were chatty, so we just introduced ourselves and that was it. <br><br>As the plane taxxed down the runway, I noticed that the two seats across from us were empty. I thought that was weird because both the window and the aisle seats next to me were occupied, and the flight was supposed to be full. I shrugged it off as the plane lifted off and forgot about it as we hit cruising altitude. <br><br>The flight was entirely unremarkable during the first few hours. The man in the aisle seat was reading a book. I was reading the airline magazine. The flight attendants came by a couple times to offer us peanuts, pretzels and water or soda, but otherwise it was just as boring as any other flight. <br><br>After a while though, things started getting strange. <br><br>The pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Prepare for landing. This may be a rough one."<br><br>*Prepare for landing? We just took off a couple hours ago.* <br><br>I looked at the clock on the screen in front of me. Five hours had passed. My phone said the same thing, so I figured the clock was probably right. <br><br>The man in the aisle seat and I exchanged a confused look. <br><br>Then we hit turbulence. It wasn't a rough landing at all. It was just a little choppy. <br><br>Not long after that, the flight attendants started making their way down the aisle. My airline has a standard landing procedure where they ask passengers to put their seat belts fastened, put their seats in their most upright position, and put all electronic devices away. <br><br>"You may now return to your homes and loved ones," she said as she went by us. The man and I exchanged another confused glance. <br><br>I asked her if we were landing yet. She smiled weakly and walked away without responding. The man in the aisle seat and I looked at each other again, but this time, we both shrugged and put our things away. <br><br>The pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker again a few minutes later, "We will be taking off shortly. Make sure your seat belts are securely fastened." <br><br>The flight attendants walked up and down the aisle a few more times. They were all crying now. <br><br>The man in the aisle seat and I looked at each other again, but neither of us knew what to say. <br><br>Then we taxxed again. <br><br>Then we lifted off again. <br><br>Then we hit cruising altitude again. <br><br>I checked the clock on my screen again. <br><br>Nine hours had now passed. <br><br>"So, how long have you been flying" I asked the man in the aisle seat, trying to sound casual. <br><br>He looked at me and I could tell he was barely holding it together. My duty as a Marine is to remain calm and professional, and I knew I had to keep it together so that this guy didn't lose his shit and try to open the door or something. <br><br>"A long time," he said finally. <br><br>"How long?" I asked. <br><br>He didn't answer. Instead, he turned back to his book and tried to read again. <br><br>I decided to try and talk to the flight attendants again. I called them over like you do on a plane by pressing the light above my seat. An older flight attendant came over a few minutes later. She was crying really hard now. <br><br>"Can I get another water please?" I asked. <br><br>She smiled weakly again and smiled at me. "Stay safe," she said. "Stay safe out there." <br><br>"What do you mean?" I asked. <br><br>"Can I get you a snack with that?" She asked. <br><br>"Yes, please. What kind do you have?" I asked. <br><br>"You know what I mean," She said. "The usual." <br><br>I ignored her strange comment and ordered pretzels and another water. <br><br>"I don't want to be here anymore," She said. <br><br>"Okay," I said, trying to be patient with her. "But can you bring me my pretzels and water?" <br><br>"Yes," She said, before wandering off again. <br><br>The man in the aisle seat was now watching us. I looked at him and shrugged. <br><br>When the flight attendant came back, I asked her how long the flight was going to be. <br><br>"I don't know," She said. <br><br>"When are we going to land?" I asked. <br><br>"I don't know," She said again. <br><br>"Well, what's our trajectory?" I asked. <br><br>"I don't know," She said, then wandered off again. <br><br>The pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker again, "Prepare for landing." <br><br>But we didn't land again. We just taxxed, then lifted off, then hit cruising altitude again. <br><br>The flight attendants were crying so hard now that they were wailing. The man in the aisle seat covered his ears. <br><br>I decided to try and go talk to the pilot. <br><br>When I walked up to the galley, the flight attendants tried to stop me. One of them actually grabbed my arm, but the other shooed her away and said, "Let him go." <br><br>I walked up to the cockpit door and knocked. A flight attendant opened it and let me in. <br><br>The pilot and co-pilot were crying and wailing just like the flight attendants. They were actually covering their ears, like the man in the aisle seat had done. <br><br>"Sir, you need to return to your seat," The pilot said without looking at me. <br><br>"I'm not going anywhere until you answer some questions," I said. <br><br>"Sir, this is a scheduled flight. Please return to your seat," The pilot said, still not looking at me. <br><br>"When are we going to land?" I asked. <br><br>"We are not going to land," The pilot said. <br><br>"Well, what's our destination?" I asked. <br><br>"I don't know," He said. <br><br>"Then why are you flying?" I asked. <br><br>"We have been ordered to," He said. <br><br>"Who ordered you to?" I asked. <br><br>"I don't know," He said. <br><br>"Well, when are you going to stop?" I asked. <br><br>"Never," He said. <br><br>I think the pilot was starting to crack because he looked at me for the first time since I entered the cockpit. <br><br>"Sir, please return to your seat," He said. <br><br>So I did. <br><br>When I sat back down, the man in the aisle seat looked at me. <br><br>"What did he say?" He asked. <br><br>"They don't know," I said. <br><br>"How long have you been flying?" I asked him again. <br><br>This time, he answered. <br><br>"Two hundred and eighty seven years," He said. <br><br>As incredible as that sounds, I knew it was true. Or at least, part of me knew that it was true. I started to cry. <br><br>"How long have you been flying?" He asked me. <br><br>"About thirty hours," I said. <br><br>This flight has now been going on for what feels like forever. I'm going to stop writing now because the flight attendants are collecting devices so we can land shortly.