9/11
By Sophie

The day before the planes hit the World Trade Center was my first day of Fifth Grade. I came home to a wonderful dinner and my mother, father and younger sister, Chloe. It had been Chloe's first day of First Grade and over dinner we took turns telling my family about our days. We walked out of the house to an ice cream store, "Chocolate Moose."

As we walked through the blaring city lights, licking our cones, the city looked as beautiful as I had ever seen it. It was a dark black sky against yellow lights and an orange moon, as fresh and round as a pumpkin. It really seemed to me like the best night I had ever lived to see.

When we were home, I fell asleep, thinking of the beautiful sight that had been before my eyes moments before. Then it was morning. I went to school and the day started off fine. The a teacher walked into the room. She told us what had happened. When I heard it, I barely gave it a thought, feeling sorry about what had happened, but only for a second. I thought that things like this happened a lot in New York City. It seemed to me like a small thing and wondered why kids were leaving early.

Then at 1:30, I left. My mom and I walked through the park on the way to my home on the West Side, but the parks were closed off. My dad came home early and then my parents watched the news. It was at that moment that I finally understood what had happened.

After that, I was very scared. I thought to myself, why would someone do a thing like that? That question ran through my brain and probably will keep running through for the rest of my life. But somehow, the more weeks that went by, the more I understood, we would make it. No one, not planes, not bombs could wound our heart, even if they might take our souls. No one could ever take over America, the home of the free and the brave.