story4454.xml

story4454.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was only 15 when it happened, at home and safe in my warm bed, still sleeping, as it was only a little after 5:00 A.M. on the West coast. I woke to my mother beating frantically on the door of my room, and wondered when I looked at the clock why she would be waking me up an hour early. She burst in quickly and I looked into her tear-streaked face. I knew immediately that something tragic had taken place. Still groggy from sleep, I couldn't quite grasp the concept when she told me that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center Towers, and it was on fire.
I stumbled into our living room to find, on our telivision, a picture that made me gasp with horror. Smoke billowed out from one of the towers, and we could see the flames licking the building unmercilessly. We watched for a few moments, until another shocking event took place right before our eyes. Another plane appeared on the screen, and my hands shot directly to my mouth to stifle a cry of surprise as it hit the second tower. I remember not quite understanding how it could happen twice on the same morning, to the same monument (I was still stuck in a fantasy land where all of the tragedy was accidental). I soon found that, horrific as it was, this was no mishap. Someone had deliberately caused this... human beings, no, monsters had conjured this up and made it a reality. It was a troubling thought to enter the mind of a teenage girl. And it didn't end there...by the time I was ready to leave for school, yet another plane had hit the pentagon, and another had hit the ground.
I arrived at school and found our prayer group appealing to God with more fervor than I had ever seen, and those who I had least expected to ever witness cry, had salty tears streaming down their cheeks. My math teacher was on the phone all period desperately attempting to find his daughter, who he feared had been included in the many that died in the collapse of the WTC. Fortunately, his attempts were not in vain. But, we were soon to learn, the attempts of the families of over 3,000 others were.
The country, rather, the entire world was in shock. It was as if everyone stood together, mouths agape, terrified at the day's events, not knowing what to expect next. Soon, though, an incredible thing happened. Terror turned into anger... and anger became resolve. Out of the ashes of the World Trade Center, a newfound patriotism was born, which transcended any that had ever been seen in this country. It was incredible, how an ignominy like this could bring forth such strength and unity among our country. On September 11th, horrific and amazing things alike took place. Enemies became friends, cynics became believers, and our divided country united at last.