My 9/11 Experience - The Deathly Scene

It was the morning of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. I lived in Brooklyn at the time and I had just woken up at 7:20am. Many people never knew the dreaded occurence later that day.

However, at first, on 9/11, many people had walked out onto their patio to breathe the fresh September air. I sat on my chair, playing Pokemon Gold and watching the cars drive by. At one point, I saw a 1972 Camaro orange drive by. I smiled seeing the cool cars on my street, and looked to the corner of my eye, seeing the calm gentle path of I-278 past the corner of two office buildings near home.

At around 8:00, my mom told me that we were getting groceries at Manhattan and then going to my aunt's house in West Bronx. I agreed, and we piled up into our 1999 Ford Ranger.

It was a nice breezy morning driving through Manhattan. I looked out the window and saw the sunlight reflecting off a playground, and the morning sun illuminating the windows of office buildings. It was 8:20, and we came to the store to buy a few watermelons. They looked savory, and we got some milk. At 8:30, we left the store. The shadow of the Trump Tower and Empire State Building cast darkness upon the road.

We ended up getting lost in an endless neighborhood and at 8:45, we finally left it and drove on a small road. But that was interrupted by a loud scream of jet engines.

I looked up, and saw an American Airlines plane coming in. I thought it was heading to the airport, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to drift away from it.

The plane was flying close to the World Trade Center. I hoped the pilots wouldn't crash into it, and safely make a left turn. I wondered how much money they would pay if the radar made it crash. The 767 banked to the right, but it went straight forward, into the North Tower.

A loud crash rang through Manhattan. Smoke poured out of the World Trade Center. "What the..." I thought for a second. I looked towards the tower between a traffic light and a 1992 Ford F150 on the street. The Boeing had crashed into the tower.

I suddenly got the urge to run out of the car, and my mom did too. We sped onto the street leading to the burning building. The street was full of parked cars and people scrambling around. I saw some people jump to death off it.

By 9:00, I had been staring at the building for a full 15 minutes, and I was in shock. We walked behind it, through the park and to the tower behind it. I saw a bench that seemed to mourn with fear with the sight of the burning skyscraper shadowing the town. I had chalk in my pencil box, which I brought so I could draw at my aunt's home. I liked drawing on her driveway, making little signs to poke fun. I took it out and scribbled writing on the bench:

Adam Sebastian - Why did that plane crash? Why would it? I hope that those people on it go to heaven, it was worth it. September 11th, 2001 - A sad day for me and many here.

I had written a full sentence and drew roses all over the bush, when the sound of more engines caught my eye. I turned from the bench to the South Tower, where a United Airlines plane was heading towards it, hitting the tower and exploding as well.

I just broke after that - seeing the buildings burn in the morning. I felt dizzy and collapsed headfirst into the bench, knocking me out.

I woke up to an evening sky. It was 8:25pm. I stared behind me and saw nothing there, just a pile of ashes. My mom was in a car down the street.

I got in it, and we drove home. And I headed to bed. I couldn't sleep, thinking of those buildings and all the deaths.

I still don't like mentioning 9/11, because it not only scarred many people, but it did to me. I saw both planes hit the buildings, and the blood, death, and smoke exploding out of them.

Soon it will mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11. I am 24 now, but that sad day, I was only eight. Rest in peace to the victims. It wasn't until the next day when I realized terrorists had did it.

I had a bad dream on September 11th, 2011, 10 years later. I saw the dead souls escaping from the wreck. I saw the moans of the afterlife.

Whenever I stare into a mirror, I seem to see the two buildings on fire and dead bodies falling out of them.