Firecracker Embers

The air in the cabin, as if the oxygen had been sucked out, became dull and oppressive. Li Ming sat by the window, trying to look like a calm traveler. The small, red, crumpled thing in his hand, like a hot potato, made him restless.

It was nothing else but a firecracker, a firecracker that had clearly been lit, with only some paper scraps and charred marks left. It lay quietly in Li Ming's palm, like a time bomb that would detonate fear.

The cause of this was like a clumsy joke. After the plane leveled off, he got up to go to the bathroom and accidentally kicked this "little guy" under the seat. He originally thought it was a toy left by a naughty child, but upon closer inspection, he found it was actually a firecracker.

He recalled the flight attendant's announcement, emphasizing the ban on carrying any flammable and explosive materials. Li Ming instinctively felt that the appearance of this firecracker was definitely not a good sign.

He looked around, trying to find the owner of the firecracker. The passengers were either closing their eyes to rest or looking down at their phones; no one noticed him. He tried to secretly stuff the firecracker into the seat crack, but then thought it was inappropriate. What if someone found it? Wouldn't he be unable to explain?

After much deliberation, he decided to seek help from the flight attendant.

A beautiful flight attendant, after hearing Li Ming's description, turned pale instantly, as if she had seen a terrible monster. "Sir, are you serious? You picked up a...firecracker?" Her voice was trembling slightly.

Li Ming nodded and handed her the "evidence." The flight attendant carefully took the firecracker, as if receiving a bomb that could explode at any moment. "Sir, please come with me." She led Li Ming to the service area at the front of the cabin, her movements a bit flustered.

What happened next exceeded Li Ming's expectations. He was taken to a small room and subjected to strict questioning. Air police, the captain, and security personnel took turns, treating him like a terrorist. He explained again and again that he was just an innocent passenger who had only found a firecracker. But no matter what he said, no one believed him.

"Sir, according to safety regulations, regardless of whether this firecracker is real or fake, we must investigate the matter," said a serious air police officer wearing glasses. "You need to cooperate with our investigation."

The investigation lasted for several hours. Li Ming’s mouth felt dry, and he had a dizzy head. He felt like a monkey trapped in a cage, unable to escape this absurd situation. He began to wonder if he had really found a "devil's firecracker."

When the plane landed, and Li Ming thought everything was finally over, he was directly taken to the airport police station. He was told that he would have to undergo further investigation and might even face legal sanctions. He was dumbfounded. He had only picked up a firecracker, how could it have turned into this?

In the police station, he saw the man who had also been brought here, a middle-aged man in oil-stained work clothes. He looked confused and uneasy, with fine traces of gunpowder on his fingers.

"It was me...it was me who dropped it," the man said in a low voice, as if afraid of being heard.

It turned out that the man had secretly set off firecrackers in the cabin to celebrate the New Year before the plane took off. He had thought he wouldn't be discovered, but unexpectedly Li Ming had picked it up.

Li Ming looked at the man, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He felt both anger and a trace of sadness. He was angry that this man's stupid behavior had brought him this unexpected disaster. He was saddened that in this absurd farce, everyone was like a precise machine, controlled by strict rules, losing the ability to think independently.

Li Ming was eventually released. But this incident was like a small stone that created ripples in his heart. He began to wonder, was this society too dependent on rules and ignoring humanity?

A year later, Li Ming received a "thank you letter" from an airport. The letter said that because he had promptly discovered the firecracker on the plane, effectively preventing a possible air crash, the airport decided to award him the title of "Safety Guardian" and a bonus of 500 yuan. A check for the bonus was attached to the end of the letter.

Li Ming looked at the check and couldn't help but laugh. He took the check and went to the firecracker stall on the corner of the street and bought a box of firecrackers. He piled the firecrackers in his yard and lit one. The deafening explosion echoed throughout the street, as if to break the absurd calm.

When the smoke from the firecrackers dissipated, there were only red scraps scattered on the ground, much like the firecracker he had found on the plane. The only difference was that this time, he heard the real explosion, saw the real flames, and also felt the real absurdity.

He took a deep breath and looked at the sky in the distance, where another plane took off.