Beautiful job! Definitely brought tears to my eyes. You really handled Calliope's emotions really well. Thank you for sharing this.

nice and sad

While I was not there. I'm glad there are some who can articulate what happened that day. So that we will remember.

The attack made me an orphan

this was so moving and touching and sad. You are an amazing writer.

That was an amazing story. All I remember was a really weird day, because all of a sudden, everyone's parents were suddenly at the school and picking us up. I was in kindergarten I think...

But the saddest and creepiest part of that day I think was that because it was so sudden, everyone was using their phone, so it overloaded the towers and the satellites. They can't hold that many calls at once, so everything got put on backorder to say. So even after everyone who had tried to call died, the satellites had to finish the job and send all the messages hat were collected. Families were getting calls from their already deceased relatives. One of my relatives got one of those calls. She said it was the saddest, scariest, weirdest, and freaky thing to happen to her.

Now that I put the wet blanket on everything, that was an inspiring? story.

i cried.

i was three when it happened. i don't really remember. i've made myself remember my daddy coming into my room and holding me. just holding me for what felt like hours. but i was three, and that's all i can recall. i can't imagine what it was like, understanding. i still dont, so few people can really grasp the horror. thank you, for giving them this. im not religous, but i do believe in heaven, and im sure they're all there.

No one in America will ever forget that day. One of the teachers in my school in Mass lost her husband on one of those plains. I, myself, had been enjoying my break time in my Metal Fabrication class when the technical teacher called us into the class room and put on the news. That day is the reason I became a U.S. Marine.

I love this story. It is simple, pure and unpretentious. A simple dedication to a tragic event that shattered so many lives that day. I truly believe that is the meaning of your story...despite the jaded comments of those who relish negativity and fault finding.

I'm Canadian, but was living in Florida at the time. I had just finished college and was in my first year of teaching in Miami. I found out at lunch. I had 25 students that year. Normally at the end of the day I still had over half of my class to take to after care at 3:15. That day I had 1. All day my students kept asking me why all their friends were leaving ( I taught 1st grade ) I told them to never mind as their parents would tell them. I went into the teacher's lounge to watch the TV their for a while, as I had no TV at that time ( I went and bought one the next week ) When I finally went home, I sat glued to my radio all night. I love Alan Jackson's song "Where Were you ( When the world stopped turning )" as the second line of the second verse "teaching a class full of innocent kids" is exactly where I was. I am glad to hear your dad ended up not going on that trip, and that he will be there for many more years to come.

This was beutiful.. Your very lucky that your dad stayed home I'm glad that god was looking out for ya.

Amazing story love how emotional it is.

Very well written. It made me cry. I enjoyed reading it though.

Okay, you just made me sob like a school girl. Not the most difficult feat, I grant you but you brought me right back to the feeling of confusion and disorientation that I and so many others felt that day. Trying to get a hold of any and all people I knew in NY and talking to random people online from NY that I didn't even know. Not knowing what was or wasn't a target and knowing my youngest child was at his 2nd day of pre-K near the government buildings downtown. It felt like I would never be on solid footing again. Beautiful telling of the tale.-J

I was too young to remember that day... all I can say is reading this made me sob. I remember watching Flight 93 and hearing "Let's Roll" the thought unbearable. Fantastic job as always.

I had tears in my eyes reading this story, but I got chills up and down my spine reading your author's note.

May we never forget.

L.G.