Nine - Eleven

What did I do on nine - eleven 2001.

I was living in eastern Germany and was working as a project manager for media culture at a media centre in the city of Dresden.

Like most other people in the world I can clearly remember what I did that day, and I a, sure that if it wasn't for those events in the US, I wouldn't have had a clue.

It was a Tuesday and I was on evening duty in the studio as we were having editorial meetings for one of our monthly culture magazines on the local television station. That means I was late out of bed and out of the house.

My girlfriend at that time had already gone to work and I been alone in ou apartment and had  plans to go to town to do some chores. I think I was going to buy some new shoes.

Back then, I did not possess a mobile telephone. Nearly no one did, so getting instant messages was not anything common. So I was out early afternoon doing my shopping and then going to the studio to for 3 pm to meet with my colleagues and a certain gentleman, who was the lecturer for a narration course, we also had running that evening.

I remember my entry into the sitting room in the studio as clear as had it been yesterday. It was the common meeting area in the studio with a big table and a little kitchen. Normally there was always a lot of laughter and talking around that table -especially on Tuesday's when the gentleman with the wonder voice and immaculate pronunciation came for the narration courses- the discussions between him and the studio leader were especially loud. 

But not that day. I sensed it right away as I'd opened the big squeaking metal door and entered the hall. There were an unnatural silence, nearly like when you enter a church during a mess.

As I came down the hallway to the main room I could hear some mumbling and as I reached the main room the voices died down and I was met with four pairs of eyes looking at me in silence. 

It was my two colleagues and the gentleman with the voice. Nothing so surprising in that. 

I looked at them and and said hello. Then the wonder voice sounded through the silence:

"Have you heard the news?" 

"Ehh, no, ehh what news?"

"They have attacked the the twin towers and New York is burning and a plane has hit the Pentagon and somewhere else, it is all burning, people are jumping out, it is a massive attack and another plane has been shot down somewhere and has crashed .."

"Pardon, what"

It all just sounded too hilarious, too unreal and because that gentleman with the voice was known as a bit of a story teller, I just reacted like he was full of tales, as usual

"Common, be real" I said.

Then my colleagues started.

"But it is real, someone has attacked New York and crashed two passenger planes into the World Trade Centre. Go to the computer and look at the news online".

Still, I was sceptical but started to feel uneasy about it all and the man with the voice went on relentlessly.

"It is the beginning of the 3 world war, it's going to escalate..."

I was already in the office in front of the huge computer screen. Opened the browser and entered an online newspaper.

After a while the news and the images started to load and come up, and I began to realise that everything they'd said, was true, and to my horror I knew that this was the day that would change the world as we'd known it forever.