A faint, distant crinkle sound in his left ear. Like the first crack of thin ice. Hope.
Desperation began to set in. It wasn't just discomfort anymore; it was a form of sensory claustrophobia. He could feel the vacuum in his Eustachian tubes, those tiny, crucial pathways to the middle ear, sealed shut like a jammed door.
He decided to attack the problem from a different angle: hydration and heat. He flagged down a flight attendant and asked for two things: a steaming hot paper cup of black coffee, and a small bottle of warm water.
A new strategy was required.