Recap: Miri has a reason why she doesn’t want to spend the summer in Spain in a Spanish castle. She and her mother are going anyway with her cousin Katie and Katie’s little sister Breindy. Miri is sure this is going to be an awful summer.
The loud Machanayim game finally ended. Katie ran into the living room; her face was flushed from all the exercise.
The girls all left, yelling goodbyes to Katie. “Bye, Katie. Write us!” “Send us postcards.” “Have a great trip!” “Bye, Breindy. Your little sister is so cute!” one of the girls called.
How did Katie do it? Everyone was drawn to her like she was some kind of magnet.
Ima strode into the hallway. She was wheeling a large suitcase. “Girls, we have to get going. Please go get your carry-ons and sweatshirts. Each of you needs to wheel her own suitcase. The cab is on the way.”
I felt my stomach clench. We were really leaving for a whole summer. I was still holding the book about the Marranos.
“Spain was a terrible place for Jews,” I told my mother. “Are you sure we should go there?”
“Miri, the world has changed since the 1400s.”
“I wouldn’t want to have lived there then. Jews were forced to leave or convert to Christianity or die.” I shivered thinking about it.
…
The plane ride was long and a bit bumpy. I hate that sinking feeling with turbulence. Ima says it’s potholes in the sky. I don’t think it’s potholes. It’s more like deep caverns, and it’s scary. Every time it dipped, I gripped the seat in front of me. Katie and Breindy didn’t seem to mind. Katie was by the window, Breindy was seated in the middle, and I was in the aisle seat. “Look out the window. It’s so amazing, we’re up in the clouds. It’ll make you less scared,” Katie said.
“Looking out makes me more scared when I realize we’re actually in the air.”
Katie shrugged. “My parents might not be there when we get there. Ima told me they have a long meeting tonight, so the maid will let us in. Her name is Bella, and she has a dog.”
Breindy chimed in. “Yay, I love dogs. What kind?” She was holding her stuffed dog, Daisy, tightly.
“It’s a golden retriever. They’re sweet dogs,” Katie said.
“I don’t like dogs,” I said. “They bite.”
“Goldens don’t bite,” Katie said.
I doubted that. Now I had another reason I didn’t want to go to Spain. I really didn’t like dogs.
“Why can’t Aba and Ima be there when we get there?” Breindy asked.
“They’re busy. They’re making this Spanish documentary. It’s a history film.”
“That sounds interesting,” I said.
“They rented the castle because they’re filming a documentary about the time of the Inquisition. Someone lived in it during that time.”
“Really? That’s the time period I was reading about,” I said.
“The castle was owned by a Jewish family back in the 1400s. There’s a whole story about them.”
“Would you like a drink?” a flight attendant stood next to my seat.
“Thank you. Water, please.”
Katie and Breindy both requested apple juice.
Just then, an announcement blared: “Flight attendants, take your seats. We are hitting some inclement weather. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened.”
My heart pounded.
Yikes! When would we be back on the ground? I knew there was one job I would never want. I would never want to be a flight attendant.
The plane dropped, and people let out gasps.
I gripped the seat in front of me so hard my knuckles turned white. Ima was two rows down. I wished she was right here. I started saying T’hilim by heart.
The plane careened up and down. I squeezed my eyes shut.
The plane dipped again.
I opened my eyes. Even Katie looked scared. Breindy started crying.
The plane took a dive.
We’re going to crash!
To be continued…
Susie Garber is the author of 11 popular Jewish books, including her newly released historical fiction novel The Blizzard (Menucha 2026) and recently published novel Captured (Menucha 2025). She is also the current news editor of Binyan Magazine.
