Officials closed a runway at an airport in Japan for twelve minutes after discovering a turtle taking a stroll on the tarmac. One of the planes affected by the delay was covered with pictures of blue turtles.
It’s a small twist of irony, but what if the event had far-reaching consequences?
Chaos theory’s butterfly effect essentially states that a slight change in the initial conditions can significantly impact a later state. Applying this to the strange coincidence of the turtle delaying the plane covered in turtles, we can see how a group of people’s lives was changed from the event.
The first person we see is a businesswoman on the plane. Because of the extra time, she can fire off a few more last-minute correspondences with her team on the ground before turning off her phone. Upon landing, she discovers that those messages ruined what would have been a lucrative deal, and we see its effect on her mental health as she’s slowly phased out of the company.
A teenager creates one last post for social media and finds out that he’s gone viral when he lands. The story would center on his rise to internet fame and the pressure he deals with to create other viral posts, trying to recreate his initial success.
A worker on the tarmac has to stay at work fifteen minutes later than his scheduled time. As a result, he’s late to dinner with his fiancé, and she ends their already strained relationship. He descends into alcoholism and struggles with the will to live until he meets the businesswoman, and they fall in love.
The woman who rescued the turtle was the last-minute option—she’s an apprentice for the primary wildlife expert, who’s out of the office. But, because of her initiative, she’s given a promotion and starts living her life the way she always dreamed.
The teenager and the wildlife expert are cousins, and the influencer finds a mountain of new content bringing the various wildlife exploits to the masses. As a result, they become famous for animal rights and create awareness for nature.
In the end, we see life from the turtle’s perspective. He knew all of this would happen and smiles because he can go back to life in the pond after playing his part.
