Cathy, Terri, and Lee look up toward the Twin Towers with horror on their faces. The looks on their faces tell it all. It is a look of absolute horror. When you hear the expression that a picture paints a thousand words, this is one of those pictures. Their faces are now frozen in horror as they look up from a Manhattan Street. A street that was full of life just minutes earlier. This morning it was the same as yesterday, but now everything had changed. Right now it is a scene of total destruction. A terrible thing has taken place here today. Hours earlier it was just another day in the Big Apple. Manhattan was awake and full of life. People hurried about preparing for their daily activities. The streets were bustling as usual. Vendors were selling their goods. The streets were filled with taxis rushing to and fro picking up and dropping off customers. The early morning sounds of the city filled the air. Tourists were arriving, some of whom were visiting Manhattan for the very first time. It was a fall day in the city. The air was crisp. The skies were clear. Who knew this morning that all of this was about to change? Who knew of the sadness and doom that was to come? Something would happen this day in Manhattan that would change the course of history. Lives would be altered forever. Lives would be lost. After the peace of the very early morning had passed bad things would start to happen. It would become later to be known as 911.

Cathy, Terri, and Lee had all begun their day unaware of the doom and devastation that was to come. Devastation was coming that would be heard around the world and put a whole country into mourning. Children would lose their parents. Parents would lose their children. Husbands and wives would lose their spouses. People would lose their sisters and brothers.

As Cathy looked up a feeling of sadness and fear overcame her . She screamed and cried uncontrollably. Her mind raced as she tried desperately to take everything in. She could see the smoke billowing above. She could hear the sounds of sirens fill the air. She could see the look of despair on the faces around her. What was going on? What was this terrible thing that had taken place? She began to think of her family and friends as her sobs continued. She was so happy this morning. Today was her sister’s birthday and she had planned a big family celebration tonight. Now her world was turned upside down. Was there more to come?

Terri was torn apart on the inside but she wanted to be strong for Terri. She tried to console her as she cried uncontrollably. She had her own fears. Her mind wondered briefly to thoughts of her husband who was a fire fighter. He had left for work this morning about the same time that she did. He had dropped their daughter off at the local school. She wondered if he were worrying about her. She wanted to check on her family. She tried desperately to remain as calm as possible.

Jim felt helpless as he looked up. He thought of his family. He had a new wife and a new baby. He had just gotten a new job and had only been in New York a few months. These things don’t happen in our country he thought.

Was this the start of a new day in the United States? Who is responsible for this madness? Will our country be subject to additional terrorists attacks in the future? There was no time to dwell on these questions. The situation at hand was almost too much for them to take in. There was a sense of panic in the air around them. There was a sense of urgency on the street. They had escaped with their own lives, but what else had they lost today? How would this change their future and the future of our country? In the days to come they would all learn more about the situation.

Elizabeth Spaulding