Hole In the Ground

"Ready", I ask.

"Ready," Andy replies and we take off pedaling side by side down the newly paved road. I zoomed pass Andy taking the lead. Then he picks up speed and passes me. Andy runs his fingers through his fiery red hair leaving only one hand on the bike handle, showing off. He laughs playfully and I stick my tongue out at him as we zipped pass the sign for Levy Hill Square, our neighborhood.

"Show off!" I shout at him, while laughing at his bravery. He slows slightly so that he is riding alongside me.

"You know you like it," Andy smirks and takes a breath. "You like it more than those history books of yours."

"Oh really. Well because of 'those history books' I'm not failing World history, like you." I say as a comeback. I sped up a bit but Andy had the faster bike so he continued to take the lead. Luckily, this time I know a short cut.

I take a left into a field of grass, its Lilly's field, she lives right in the middle of our racing course. I look behind me to make sure Andy wasn't following me. I turned my head back around just in time to see the tree that was a foot away. I swerved so forcefully the bike flung me to the right side.

My entire right side screams with agony. I pull my foot out from under my bike, moaning loudly. I lie on my back for a minute to regain my focus.

  I groan as a roll slowly to the left and cautiously stand up. I slip of my helmet and look around. I see the tree I just avoided and decide to go set down under it to cool off from the summer heat.

I take 2 steps towards the tree, 3 steps, 4 steps, 5.....I drop through the ground.

 I scream at the top of my lungs for about 3 minutes before I realize I am still falling. Which raises the questions in my mind – Who digs a hole this deep?

 I continue to fall rapidly. Then suddenly dirt walls turn a purplish color start to spin faster than the gears on my bike. Everything goes dark and I close my eyes, wishing I was home.

When I open my eyes I am back in Lower Manhattan, but it is different. The cars, the clothes people are wearing and the buildings all seem strange although I cannot quite figure out why. I look down the street in front of me and notice two very tall, very similar buildings standing close together like twins; The World Trade Center. I start to breath rapidly. They shouldn't be there. I turn around in a circle over and over again in a panic until I notice a newspaper stand.

I dash over and grab a paper. The vendor yells at me to pay for it, but I keep reading. The date on the newspaper is September 10, 2001. I look up from the paper and back at the man in shock. I throw the paper back at him and walk down the street shoving my hands into the pockets of my blue faded glory hoodie.

Walking down the street I see familiar buildings like the diner I eat breakfast in before school every morning and the dress shop where my mom works. I notice a sign in the window of the barber shop; COMING SOON TO LOWER MANHATTAN IS LEVY HILL SQUARE. I take a few more turns and I am at the police station.

I hesitate before pushing through the door. This is a bad idea, I think to myself.

 I walk up the woman sitting at the front desk. "Ma'am this is going to sound crazy, but tomorrow morning terrorist are going to crash a plane in the World Trade Center."

 The woman looks shocked and quickly dials a number on the phone beside her. Then she asks, "Really? Are you one of these terrorists?"

 "No! Why would you think that?" I say offensively. Duh stupid you would too. Two officers show up and take me by the arms and push me towards an interrogation room. There is no point resisting that would only make matters worse, so I go along willingly.