<span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><br/>Frank had been planning the trip to Sydney for some time now. His luggage had been taken care of and he'd found his seat, a comfortable spot in the back of the plane with a window seat.  A few of his friends had visited Australia before and had claimed it was a blast..well more than anything they had said that the local girls were quite attractive and that was reason enough for him, not that he was some kind of chauvinist. But since his last girlfriend had broken things off almost a year ago now a steady relationship just didn't seem to be in the cards for him. Instead the young man was decidedly living one day at a time, and when it came to the opposite sex, he was never much of a romantic anymore. Lately it'd been a slow stream of casual hookups or one night stands, which suited him just fine since nothing long-term ever seemed to last. A vacation sounded ideal considering his mood.<br/><br/>The turbulence hadn't sounded bad when the captain mentioned it, but what seemed initially harmless at first became something that you prayed never to happen to you on a flight. It all felt a tad surreal, but the crash of metal against cold ocean water assured him of just how real it all was. Like most in such a situation he blacked out before too long, his last conscious thoughts worrying if he'd end up dead..<br/><br/>Some time later, Frank started to come up, slowly gathering his bears. He was somewhere solid. <em>A piece of the wreckage? No..too soft. Sand...Land.</em> His mind was processing his whereabouts but it hurt to sit up straight on the shore. Water from the tide lapped at him as he managed to crawl a bit further up onto the beach, seeking some kind of refuge. Finding support against the trunk of a sturdy palm, his eyes darted here and there almost frantically. From his spot by the tree he could spot bits and pieces of the plane..at least what was left of it. Part of him was relieved to be alive and yet another wondered if being stranded was much of a consolation. His next priority was to try and find some other survivors. That was, of course, when he could muster the strength to stand.<br/></span>