You know how schools will ask “What is your favorite quote?”
Well. My favorite quote is,
On September 11th, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by terrorists. This plane was heading to hit the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., when the plane was originally heading to San Francisco, California.
The passengers fought back.
In last resort, the terrorists crashed the plane into a field in Stonycreek Township, Philadelphia. Nobody in the plane survived the crash, but nobody outside was harmed.
The most amazing act of bravery I've probably ever seen in the USA. 40 passengers worked together to fight for their freedom. They may have not survived, but no matter what, they will be forever remembered. 🕊
wrote this story called “appetite of one” on google docs, and gave it like 2 chapters before forgetting about it. remembered it awhile ago so i thought to share it
at first, i thought it'd be a bit weird to tell this story, but with a bit courage, i went for it. here we go :D
Chapter 1
It was a day like any other, I woke up. I thought to myself, “Better be ready for tomorrow.” I looked back at my calendar in my room, hanging on my wall with only a staple stabbed into it and the wall, barely hanging on. In a big red circle, with a doodle of a birthday cake on the day, June 5th. Today was June 4th. This isn’t my birthday, but my brother, Ed’s. “Huh.. What should I get him? He doesn’t like any toys, he’s almost 14. Maybe a game? No, it might remind him of dad and mom.” It took a while for me to think. Anything I thought of, either wasn’t Ed’s interest or could remind him of traumas. “I’m not trying to hurt Ed. I want him to be happy for the first time since his last birthday.” I thought.
Ed’s 13th birthday went worse than ever, as the house nearly burned down, and Ed has a phobia of fire. I think you can guess how that went.
On June 5th, 2010, Ed’s 13th birthday.
“We got you something you’d like, Ed.” Mom said, with a grin on her face. “It’s something you’d always beg for.” Dad said, with a slight smile. Ed gently tore the bright, red paper that was tightly wrapped around a rectangle box. He pulled out a box cutter, flawlessly slicing through the tape. The box’s arms flapped out, nearly smacking him at quick speed. Inside the box was a tinier box, it was carefully placed almost perfectly in the bottom of the cardboard box it sat in. Ed reached his hands in, both of his hands grabbing the sides of the box. He turned the box around, inspecting it. It had a poofy, red bow on the front side of the box, where some toy of sorts was inside. He gently pulled off the bow, then threw the bow to his dad to catch. The white box had a clear window, which showed a toy airplane. Ed’s smile grew more and more as he looked at it. “We knew you’d enjoy it. Since you were 10, you would beg us for an airplane toy. Here you go, Ed. What you always wanted.” “Thank you.” He mumbled, trying to not scream of joy. Mom looked at me, she seemed surprised how he said thank you. He’d usually not say it till I told him to. Ed started freaking out, like swaying his legs around and never leaving the sight of the toy off his eyes. But the most obvious part was his big.. No, gigantic smile on his face. He was like a squeaky toy that was squeezed really, really hard by a little kid. That’s how happy he was.
Chapter 2
I watched how he opened the box, with glee in his face. I have never seen him this or more happy. I could audibly hear his “happy noises” as mom called it, “Tourette Syndrome” as the psychiatrist called it. Sure, at first, his tics weren’t audible, but when it was quiet, you could hear it for sure. All that was making noise, other than him, was a speaker playing some overrated christmas song, like “All I want for christmas is you”, playing in the crispy 144 FP quality it usually does. That song makes me cringe, but also scared.
Ed, mom, and dad all started setting the toy up so it’d work. I just stared in awe. “How long is this gonna take?” I ask, pure confusion. “Just wait.” Mom said. I could see Ed not waiting, he’d look like he’d explode in excitement. “I was just asking in confusion, not hate.” I said back, hoping she’d understand. “Kay, whatever you say.” Mom said, not even focused on me. I am not a mean or selfish kid, but I felt like I didn’t get anything, since I didn’t open anything yet. “Did I get anything?” I asked, just making sure. “Of course, dear. We don’t hate you.” Mom said, sounding concerned that I asked. Dad just looked back at me, with a slight concern as well.
I look back at the tree, two gifts sat under it. I crawled toward the tree. I could hear them laughing in joy. I looked out the window, the night moon seemed to gleam at me, and the cold wind breezed on my arms, making me shiver. I could feel my hair flow backwards, like I shouldn’t do this. I decided that I was “just gonna check if they were for me” so I could, at least, not be impatient. I grabbed my black hair and tucked it under my shirt so it wouldn’t fly away. I looked at the presents under the tree, and checked the presents. Yup. “For Jay, for Jay.. both for me? No more for Ed? Well, he got an airplane, he’d be pleased with that.”
I thought it was strange how my parents put up a tree for a birthday party, but neither Ed nor I questioned it. It was “just tradition”, like mom said. And dad had the idea of giving both me and Ed presents, despite that it was his birthday. Not mine. It’s especially weird because of the fact that my birthday is in September, nowhere close to Ed’s.
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blakekathryn
