The Moment That Changed My Life Forever
By Sean Ryan
11-year old in Mrs. Toto’s English Class

There I was, in front of my TV screen viewing the most sickening act ever done by a human. Hate, disgust, and loathing were in almost every thought I had. It felt as the end of the world had come and I was scared. I didn’t know what was going on, it didn’t register. I was in such shock. The sirens and views on that TV were trapped immediately into my brain and are still there today. I can tell you everything that happened to me on that day. I was so uncertain. Where was my dad, was he even living? Were we going to war? How had it happened? Who was responsible? It was frightening. I couldn’t handle it.

Everything was happening to fast. Still the TV kept playing the same horrifying images, over and over and over again. I still was worried about my dad. I didn’t know what I would do with out him. Still I sat there, wishing I could go back in time, back to a place where none of this was happening, when I was carefree, but I never can. My fear didn’t die away when my dad called. It felt good to know he was alive but I didn’t know if something else would happen. I knew of two people still missing, I still kept hope for them. They never came back.

There I was, in the city for my grandmother’s funeral. She had something happen in her body. She got so worried her body couldn’t handle the shock and her body shut down. Some people say she died medically but my grandpa and I believe she was murdered. I stood over her casket. I couldn’t believe it. I was furious and the pain inside of my body wouldn’t fade away.

There I was, at the site of the attack. I felt hopeless, for my family, my friends and my country. I stood there silently at the sacred grounds remembering what was there. From the ruble that stood before me firemen, policemen, and soldiers worked picking up ruble and finding bodies of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. This gave me hope. All around me were men and women from the military. In the river subs, soldiers in the streets, jets overhead. I felt once more safer and I knew the brave men and woman around me would soon be at war fighting to keep my freedom. I began to realize that I wanted to be one of them.

There I was, a month later looking at the lights where two giants once stood. These lights were almost ghost images to me and I swear I could see spirits at the abyss. The lights stretched upward out to the sky and into the heavens. Viewing them I was sad and I remembered the four people I knew that died, but it gave me hope. Looking at the shadows of giants I realized what I had to do.