9/11 ~ A Story of a Police Officer -by Sandra

It was dark outside, and the moon glowed like a bright crystal ball, just like all the stars that surrounded it. I was sitting on the living room floor with my three wonderful sisters:Yesania, Sasha, and our youngest sister Lizeth. She had dark blue eyes and a smile that would brighten any one's day if they saw her red-pink lips formed into a smile. We were all talking, and usually all at once! Yesenia told me about how her day was at school and what she had done with her friends after work.

And Sasha told me about her day at work also. We were all gathered around the living room floor. We talked about our day; even though it was a talk that wasn't that exciting, I didn't really care, all I cared about was spending time with my sisters. It was nice to hang out with them. We told each other jokes. Giggles came out of us, even when we told the same old lame jokes. We talked for at least two hours, non-stop until our tongues were numb. "Lets do this tomorrow!" Sasha said filled with enthusiasm. We all agreed with each other that the next day would just be about fun. We said this not knowing what a nightmare we were going to live through the next day.After an entire night of bonding and gossip, we all went to bed.
BEEP BEEP my alarm went off that next morning. A bright yellow sun was rising just right above the World Trade Centers. The glow of the sun looked as if the buildings were crystals of ice, shimmering in the summer morning light in New York City. Every morning I woke up and opened the curtains in the living room of my house. I admired the beauty all around me, from the buildings and the cityscape to the people. What I loved the most was to walk up to my window, open the curtains, and hear the birds singing the songs that could be heard throughout the city.
"Bye, guys," I said to my sisters the next morning. I remember the way they looked as I walked out of the house. "Have a good day at work today."

I arrived at the New York Police Department for my shift. It was 7:00a.m. The morning at the department seemed to be normal. The city was calm. Mr. Hikera,our police chief ,was giving his morning briefing. Today we would go to investigate a gas leak a couple blocks from the World Trade Towers. Shortly after we arrived we heard a plane fly overhead. The sound of the plane caught our attention since it was unusual to see a plane flying so low. I looked up suspiciously trying to spot the plane. As I was watching I saw the plane crash into the towers! My first thought was to wonder if this could be real. The screams from my fellow officers brought me back to reality. My sisters are inside, I recalled. I ran back to my police car; it was 9:00 in the morning.The red, blue and white lights flashed and my siren sounded as I sped towards the towers even though I felt as if I was going so slow that a snail had passed me. I was driving at 30 miles per hour in the first couple minutes of driving, but ounce I arrived closer to the scene, I had to slow down my speed.

There was a crowd of people running away from the buildings, trying to find a way to escape the flaming towers and the falling debris. The crowd was so big that people couldn't find a way out. I had to drive even slower, "Uuuhhh!" I screeched. I was too impatient to stay in my police car, so I jumped out and ran as fast as I could. It was hard to see. Smoke and ash covered me as I ran, faster still towards the burning buildings. People were inside the Twin Towers and needed to find a way out. I needed to help them I thought to myself.

My heart beat so fast I could hear the thumping in my head. I tried to think positive thoughts for my sisters, but an image of my sisters inside the towers covered with fire flames was haunting me. Thoughts race through my mind. Are they alive? Are they hurt? How can I get to them? I promised that if I ever saw them again, I would be sure they knew I loved them very much. I trembled as I wondered, Will I ever see them again? Will I be able to give them a hug? I knew at that moment that I would be willing to risk my own life in order to save my sisters' lives.

As I ran down the stairs, I promised that if I lived, I would always enjoy life - as if every moment was my last. What happened that terrifying day made me realize life isn't forever. As a police officer, I had already taken a vow to help people, but never could I have imagined being witness to such a horrific event. From this day forward, I vowed to make every day count. I went to work the next day with a renewed sense of purpose, thankful for what I had always taken for granted.

By ~ Sandra