Cortney Fortunato Personal Narrative Understanding 9/11 through the Eyes of a Child

9/11

Even as a first grader when I woke up on that Tuesday morning I noticed it was exceptionally beautiful outside. It wasnt too hot out but the sun was shining brightly down on Northport, Long Island that September morning. There wasnt a cloud in the sky. As I was getting ready to go to school the news was on in the kitchen. The carefree newsman was emphasizing what a beautiful day it was in New York City that morning with a beaming smile on his face. I remember getting on the bus and waving good bye to my mom and younger brother who were waving back from the edge of the driveway. At school we began our normal morning routine. But when it came time to go outside for recess, Ms. Smith, my first grade teacher, got a phone call. She answered cheerfully, as always, but as the person on the other end of the phone began speaking, her facial expression turned from happy to worried and frightened. When she got off the phone, she said we were going to have recess inside that day. I remember questioning why we didnt go outside being that it was such a perfect day. As I was playing with my friend during recess, the phone rang once again. Ms. Smith nervously scurried to answer it. After she got off the phone, she told me my mom was there to pick me up and take me home. I was so confused, but extremely happy that my mom allowed me to leave school early. Foolishly, I thought maybe my mom wanted to take me and my brother to the beach on this gorgeous day, but I was way off. When I saw my mom at the reception desk I was so excited to see her. However, my moms normally smiling face was masked with both worry and relief. She was happy to see me safe and now in her arms. She was frantically trying to sign the paper to get me out of school, but was struggling because her hand was shaking like a leaf. When we got home, my mom told me to go out in the backyard and

play with my little brother. While I was playing with him I was watching her pacing back and forth in front of the TV while she was talking on the phone. Her face looked panicked, scared, and showed signs that she had been crying. I couldnt make out what she was watching on the TV. I thought I saw fire and smoke, but why would my mom be watching a fire on the news for that long? As my brother and I were playing outside, these military planes I had never seen near my house before kept roaring over our heads, so low and so fast. After about an hour I asked my mom if I could come inside and watch TV. She told me to take my brother downstairs and occupy him with a movie. When I was listening to her talk, she wouldnt really look at me and was still on the phone with someone. I thought she was trying to hide her emotions. She was trying not to show me that she was scared, vulnerable, and helpless, but I read right through her attempted disguise. I kept thinking to myself: why is my mom crying, who is she on the phone with, and why wont she stop watching the TV? I was so curious to find out what in the world was going on, so I snuck up the basement stairs, ever so quietly, and hid in the corner of the living room. What I saw next would change my life forever. As I watched the screen in front of me, I was in awe. The same news anchor that I saw and listened to that morning was no longer carefree, and he certainly didnt have a big smile on his face anymore. Instead, he looked scared, unsure, and panicked. The screen then displayed aerial footage of the two gigantic towers in New York City. The newsman said two planes had crashed into the towers. I kept thinking: how did a plane not see those two huge towers? Next, I saw footage of the planes hitting the towers. They instantly went up in flames. A never ending cloud of black smoke trailed from their remains. Then I saw something that I didnt really understand. It looked like there were tiny, black dots falling from the upper floors of the building. I didnt know what the objects were, and wish now that I had never found out. The newsman said those tiny black dots were people, helplessly jumping from the burning towers. Some of them floated down, almost in slow motion for what seemed like hours. Others were even on fire. I was so scared and confused, I didnt know what to do with myself, but I couldnt

tear myself away from the screen. As I was still peering at the television from my hiding spot in the corner, watching images I couldnt really understand, something strange happened that gave me an eerie feeling, my Mom was silent. She was no longer talking to the unknown person on the other side of the phone that she had been talking to nonstop since we had gotten home. The phone was still up to her ear but her jaw was almost to her knees it dropped so low, as she watched in disbelief mesmerized and terrified at what she was witnessing through the screen. I kept inspecting back and forth between my moms face in reaction to the footage she was witnessing, and the screen. As I looked from my Moms face to the screen I observed one of the buildings fall; it just simply collapsed, straight down to the ground. Another enormous cloud of smoke and dust filled the screen. A few moments later, the second tower fell, straight down from the sky, barreling down like a ton of bricks until it vanished. These immense towers disappeared in seconds. At this point my mom started to cry. The absolute shock was passing as she started to gain a sense of emotion and came back to life, more terrified and distraught than ever. All that was left on the screen was an immeasurable cloud of dust and smoke that raced down the streets of New York City, sweeping away the helpless survivors and leaving behind a panicked city with no answers to how this could have happened. After the vivid seen was over, the news reporters started talking about other attacks throughout the country. Attacks? Someone did this on purpose? Someone planned this? Who? Why? How? There were no answers for any of my questions. My heart was pumping so rapidly I thought it was going to fly right out of my chest. My Mom looked back and saw me standing behind her in disbelief of what I had just viewed. She came over to me and held me tight as she reached for the remote and turned the T.V. off, while trying her best to assure me that everything would be okay. Later that night, I discovered my two uncles, aunt, and grandma were in the city that day, each about ten blocks away from the World Trade Center. I also learned my Dad was supposed to go to the World Trade Center that day for work. I can still remember the feeling of overwhelming relief when my

Mom told me that my family was ok and safe, but at the same time a feeling of fear and sadness just imaging that they could have been in such horrible danger. Thank God my Dad was late for the train that morning and missed his ride into the city. I dont like to think about what would have happened if he wasnt running behind schedule. That day that started off flawless, and quickly turned tragic, taught me a lot about life. I am now and forever grateful that all of my family members made it out of the city, with angels on their shoulders guiding them to safety. I realized at a very young age that the world is a scary place full of evil individuals. Anything could happen to anybody at any time. Life is short, too short. It should never be taken for granted. To this day when I hear someone mention 9/11 or watch documentaries about it, I can never forget the images I saw through that screen many years ago or the feelings and thoughts that ran through my mind when I learned about the grave danger my family members were in. Neither the images that remain burned in my mind, nor the feelings that scarred my heart, can ever be forgotten.