Think.
Think back to the exact moment when you fell in love for the first time.
That split second. That precise moment.
Can you remember it?
I can remember the day as if it were yesterday: from the light blue dress she wore, to her golden locks curved along her shoulders, down to the shocking tingle when our fingers touched. It was the happiest day of my life, and yet she didn’t even know I existed.
What if you had the chance to relive those moments? Would you take it?
I’ve waited almost ten years for her and my time has finally come.
This split second, this precise moment will change her life forever.
A loud gasp escapes as I cry out, “Oh god!”
Gia yells through the cellphone, “What? What is it?”
“These two buildings are completely on fire! There are about ten fire trucks down the street trying to put them out. Wait, is that the news station?”
I spin around to face the nurse at the station and yell out, “Turn on the news, quick!” She bolts out of her chair and rushes to turn on the TV. Flipping through channels, she lands on New York News 1 and watches as the news anchor describes the terrifying scene.
I yell into my cell, “Gia, turn on channel one right now.”
“Okay, hold on, let me flip the channel. Oh my god! Melanie that’s right by you!”
I watch as the buildings burn. “Yea, I see the buildings from the window!”
She shouts, “Holy shit! I hope everyone got out all right.”
I say a silent prayer. “I hope so too.”
“Wait, Melanie are you watching the TV right now?”
Trying to get a better angle, I press my head closer to the window. “No, I’m looking outside. What do you see?”
“There’s a firefighter riding a ladder all the way up the building.”
I turn around and make my way to the TV to get a closer look. The nurse and I watch as the firefighter drives the ladder higher and higher. He inches closer to the building, stopping right next to a window, and shatters it with a hammer.
Confused, I ask her, “What is he doing?”
The nurse looks at me with fear in her eyes. “He’s trying to get in. There must be someone stuck on that floor.”
A cold chill runs down my spine. Oh god. We watch together as the fireman climbs over the railing of the ladder and peeks inside the window, disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Suddenly the adjoining buildings start to rumble, slowly crumbling into pieces. Pedestrians run as far as they can away from the falling structures, fearing for their lives. I scream out, dropping my phone to the floor as my hands cover my mouth. The nurse yells alongside me and races to her desk, calling someone on the phone. My heart drops as I watch the horror unfold, praying the firefighter is able to escape.
As the buildings cascade to the ground, the cameras locate the firefighter and catch him jumping out of the window just as the buildings drop. He lands directly on the ladder and crouches into a low position. I focus on his arms and it looks likes he’s holding someone. The ladder immediately swivels away from the collapsing buildings in the opposite direction, missing the falling debris by a hair.
My entire body shakes as I watch the fireman hold on tight as the ladder swings and slowly lowers back down to the truck. As soon as it reaches its destination, he unwraps his arms and my eyes water as the little boy pops up his head and looks into the crowd.
Paramedics rush to the boy, taking him from the firefighter as he jumps off the roof of the truck. He races toward the rubble and starts digging profusely. I watch as firefighters assist in the dig before the camera turns away and focuses on the anchor.
Still frozen, I hear Gia’s voice yell from a distance and glance at the phone on the floor. Picking it up, I breathe heavily, trying to calm myself down. “Gia, did you see that?”
Her voice shouts, “Yes! Holy fuck! He saved that kid!”
Just as I’m about to respond, the intercom blasts throughout the hallways of the hospital. “All available medical staff, please report to the ER immediately.”
Madison Street was born in New York City and was raised in the Bronx, where she resided until she was 17 years old. After 9/11, Madison joined the United States Navy to serve her country.
During the deployments, Madison constantly wrote short stories and she discovered her passion for writing. You will find Madison always on the computer, whether she's on Facebook, designing websites, messing with Photoshop, or writing for her blog.
Besides writing, her second passion is music and dance. Even though she's a terrible singer, she'll still belt it out in the shower, especially if the song is her jam! She currently resides in Virginia.
