08:46:40

When Ana lost her father she lost everything. Years after the fact she is still haunted by his last words and the knowledge that nothing will ever be the same. She lost her dad, her home and her anonymity. Now, ten years later, she is trying to find herself again.

In losing her son, Catherine gained her granddaughter. Was that a fair trade? No. Was it what got her through those early days? Yes. Now she had to say goodbye, and she wasn't sure she was ready to.

***
On September 11th 2001, 2,977 people fell victim to 19 associates of the al-Qaeda Islamic extremist group who hijacked four airplanes, executing Suicide Attacks on The World Trade Centre and The Pentagon as well as attempting to do so on the, still unknown, destination of Flight 93. The events of this day shaped culture as we know it; 24 hour news broadcasts, increased airline security and a new found, aggressive approach to combating terrorist organisations all stemmed from 9/11, and with an event that affected the masses in such a drastic way it is often difficult to identify the individuals whose lives were completely changed. Over 3,000 children under the age of 18 lost a parent on 11 September 2001 and this is the statistic that most influenced my research and writing.

08:46:40 was written as my dissertation piece for the degree of English Literature with Creative Writing in 2015 and is still one of my proudest achievements. I hope you enjoy it.