Smoke filled his lungs; sirens filled his ears. He ran, animal instincts kicking in.

People streamed from office buildings, bars, diners, incomprehension on their faces.

TVs tuned to terror; radios blared chilling news. Phone lines down.

The buildings fell. Blood donations not needed.

This could not be happening in America.

Ruth Mannino is a retired math teacher, tutor, and business analyst, who has always loved to write. Meditation and mindfulness being a part of her everyday life, in 2020, she published Thursday Mornings: Breathe, Stretch, Listen, Love, a series of interviews she conducted with senior members of her chair yoga class. She’s been published in Fiftywordstories and SBLAAM. She remembers 9/11 all too well. Her daughter was going to school in Manhattan and was able to contact her before the telephone lines went down.