You have the entire week to link your work to the meme and you can link more than one story if you like. This week's promt is:
I stood frozen in front of the flickering images on my TV.
Here is my text:
I was in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast, thinking about the baby that was due in December. Glancing at my 'things-to-do-list', I turned on the TV and saw on the screen, the image of tall buildings on Manhattan. An aircraft flew into one of the tallest buildings. 'What does this mean?' I thought, remembering a visit just a year ago, to the Big Apple to see Sylvia, a girl I knew from college. It was on lower Manhattan that she showed me the place where she was going to work, a couple of enormously tall buildings called the 'World Trade Center'. I wondered if Sylvia was at work that day. I stood frozen in front of the flickering images on my TV.
To visit other Saturday Centus week #19-posts please go to this site.
Best wishes,
Anna
First Commenter:
Koby of
'Not all who wander are lost'
Anna
First Commenter:
Koby of
'Not all who wander are lost'
Posts
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24 Comments:
Ohhh tell me Silvia got out okay...?
I don't know what I would have done if I'd known someone in there on that day.
It was horrific enough knowing strangers not getting out.
Dear Koby,
To this day I do not know whether or not Sylvia was there or if she is alive or well or anything.
But this has more to do with the fact that I live abroad and have lost track of most of my school mates from college.
There is the possibility of checking on her through the university, but I have just have not had the time to do it. But I will. I do want to know if she is alright.
Silvia was/is a 'Closet Swede' too. If you read this, Sylvia Dahlgren, please let me know that you are alright. You can leave a comment here.
I do know of a girl who really did have a close call though. The daughter of one of my teachers at VCU worked part time at a restaurant in one of the buildings near the World Trade Center that collapsed after the towers fell. She was scheduled to work that morning, but there was a last minute change in scheduling and she was to work the afternoon shift. So she stayed at home while seven of her co-workers, people she knew and worked with, perished that day.
But, as far as I know, she's fine today. I keeps tabs on her through FaceBook.
My SC-text is based on facts, but is rearranged/fictionalised slightly to make it work. When the planes flew into the twin towers I was at work as a telephone-interviewer for telemarketing in Sweden. So the time of day is not the same as in New York. There is a six-hour time-difference. The sun rises in the east, so it is six hours later where I am now. It is true that I was expecting my first baby, but I was not at home in the kitchen, lazily making plans for the new baby. I was working trying to earn money while I still could.
Thanks for stopping by!
Best wishes,
Anna
This must have been so frightening for you to know your friend might have been there. Maybe some day you will find out.
Thank you for your kind thoughts Vicki. I try not to be sad about things before I know for sure that I have cause. I still hope that she is alive and well. I am not going to be sad until I know for sure that she is gone.
I am very happy that my friend's daughter was spared that day. I think she has had some emotional problems for a time afterward, some kind of 'surviver syndrone'or something, but I think she is doing well now.
Life goes on. I am very sorry for all of those families that lost someone. But I am not one of them. I have other kinds of problems, other kinds of losses.
It is not fiction that I visited a friend called Sylvia on Manhattan and looked at The World Trade Center. I thought it was huge, so inhumanly tall. I decided not to work in New York City. It was my fear of heights that scared me.
Maybe that was a good thing!
Thanks for visiting!
Hugs,
Anna
Not knowing if she's okay has to be awful. Well written, Anna.
Dear Anna; I am glad you are still here to tell us your story :) and I hope your friend is ok too . God bless you . All this remembering is really good for me . This is actually the first year I am taking this date seriously . I think Islam is a punishment in a way . What do you think ?
I've never really wondered what people in other countries thought about this. Wrong of me. My sister-in-law lost a dear friend who worked at the Pentagon. I hope one day you hear from Sylvia.
Kramar,
Tina
This post shows how the attacks affected not only the U.S. but the entire world.
I pray that you will be able to locate your friend and find her alive and well.
I hope your friend was safe, and I grieve for all of those who were not.
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I pray Sylvia got out or wasn't even there on that day. God bless!~Ames
Captured a common moment...many people will feel the shoes of your speaker.
Wonderful and touching post, Anna! Thank you for putting a global face on the impact of this horrific tragedy. Excellent job!
Ironically, as I watched the NYC memorial online this morning, I noticed how many foreign-sounding names were on the list, and wondered how THEIR families would find out information about their loved ones, due to the problems with language, distance and time.
Here's a link to a site of all the victims - I did not see her name there: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/lists/by-name/page22.html
A tragic day indeed. I remember going home for lunch that day and happened to turn on the TV and see it. I was shocked. I hope you can one day find out what happened to your friend.
I had friends there too. A moment frozen in time that keeps haunting.
Nice story...I hope Sylvia was not at work...Peace and blessings
Anna, I think the strongest fiction is written woven through with strands of the truth.
This was such a compelling read.
And JFC made me cry with her kindness in sharing the link to the list.
This story and that offering of friendship really touched my heart.
Thank you for linking.
I did have to read your comments to see what you found out about your friend. I had a friend whose young cousin was killed in the Towers. It made it seem so much more personal even though I didn't know her cousin.
What a horrible day for all. I do hope that you find your friend safe someday. Wouldn't that be nice?
Forgive me for not yet replying to all of these very fine comments. Thank you all for visiting and commenting. I will reply to everyone's comment.
A special thanks to June Freaking Cleaver's link to the list of victim's names, I now know that Sylvia is not on the list. I read through the entire list on Sunday afternoon, which means that I am behind in commenting on other's posts.
It was very interesting reading, that I highly recomend. Thank you JFC!
I will continue to coment here, but I need to take a break first.
Best wishes,
Anna
Blog world is a place of love laughter sadness tears encouragement etc I really enjoyed reading your entry thanks
It is such a powerful story. The world is sadder for all the terror attacks.
oh how horrible it was to be thinking about nice future times and then having to watch all the sadness
Tina
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