The Baggage Carousel That Is Life by Nadim Mansour
It’s when Tom stands at the baggage carousel that the finality of his holiday hits. He stares grimly at the dark mouth, hoping not to see his suitcase emerge.
Yet unsurprisingly it does. The navy-blue harbinger of reality announces itself six minutes after the conveyor belt started.
Disappointment washes over Tom. The suitcase, making its way towards him, emits thoughts of emails, traffic, dishes, and car registration.
He shudders. But then thinks, what if?
He cannot believe himself, but the intrusive thought turns to action.
He leaps, letting the carousel take him away from here.
After six minutes, he returns.
My name is Nadim Mansour. I am a junior doctor who likes to spend their free time writing, reading, and watching TV – a lot of TV. Although I was born in Sydney, my father is from Lebanon, and my mother is from the Netherlands. This has provided me with a breadth of exposure to both cuisines and profanities. I am published in Better Read Than Dead Writing Anthology 2020.