Kimberly was terrified. Early that morning, her mother ushered her into the living room, turning on the news. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her blurry vision. It looked as if two giant trees were set ablaze. Then, her mother began to explain that the giant buildings she was gazing at were the World Trade Center towers. Kimberly's mother left her alone in the room to watch the horrific disaster. A thought came into her head; New York was only a state away from her hometown, Philadelphia. She became frightened. She also remembered a conversation between her and Gordon, her best friend who lived next door…
"Hi, Gordon! Could you help me with an art project? It's due tomorrow and I want it to be the bestest!" Kimberly chuckled, revealing a missing tooth. Gordon shook his head. "Sorry, Human Kimberly, but I can't help. I'm going to New York tomorrow to attend a meeting. Sorry, lass." Kimberly hung her head. "Ok…" she said…
"Gordon!" she shouted, looking closely at the video on the screen. A white cat with an orange patch over his eye and a stubby tail swiftly trotted by. A reporter stopped him in his tracks. "Young sir, may I ask, what do you know about what has just happened here?" Gordon appeared to be limping slightly. "Sorry, reporter man, but I have no time to talk. There are people in those Towers who need my help!" He began running again, straight for the North Tower. The reporter stuttered, bewildered at what Gordon had done. "Well, you saw it here, ladies and gentlemen; a cat… just ran right past us and is headed for the Towers… to help people get out!"
"Gordon's such a hero…" mumbled Kimberly, crossing her arms. "… too much of a hero. He might not get out!" Kimberly decided it was best to call Gordon and warn him of his fatal mistake…
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Meanwhile, Gordon sprinted to the Towers, determined to save whoever he could. His small cat legs pulsed with pain; he couldn't run any longer. He slowed to a quick trot. He was now in the World Trade Center plaza where debris and paper drifted wildly overhead. The Towers look twenty times taller than they were when he first laid eyes on them. Gordon's eyes burned with tears. These magnificent structures of American power were now standing mounds of metal and fire, destined to fall. He wiped his eyes in time to see a fast moving piece of debris falling toward him. But, it was not debris. It was a person.
Gordon's legs finally gave way; they had sustained too much damage. He fell to the ground, landing on his backside. He knew this was the end of him. The end of thousands of lives. He had never even reached his destination and now people were jumping from high above. He had failed. Gordon closed his eyes. Out of nowhere, a stern voice called out, saying, "Watch out!" A person grabbed Gordon from off the concrete and sprinted toward the Towers. A wet crack pounded behind them. Gordon's face grew pale. He felt sick to his stomach. A life had ended behind him at seventy miles per hour. He fainted in the mans arms.
"Hey… you ok, buddy? Wake up!" Gordon slowly opened his eyes. A light skinned man was practically face-to-face with him. He bore a five o'clock shadow on his chin, yet he was bald. He backed up, allowing the cat to have a breather. "That was some fall you took back there. You ok?" Gordon slowly sat up, waiting for the pain in his spine to send him back onto the floor. It never came. He attempted to move his legs and they worked. "What?" stuttered Gordon, bouncing his legs up and down in disbelief. "How did you…?"
"Name's Jeffery. I'm a doctor. Only took me a minute to crack those legs back into place." Gordon gazed at his surroundings. He was in the sky lobby of the North Tower, which created a clear picture of the building across from them. It was swaying. The two rushed over to the windows, staring in awe as even more people spilled out from the windows. All those lives, Gordon thought, gone. All became silent. The top of the South Tower began to rip and buckle as the fire licked the upper floors. Suddenly, it began to collapse in on itself. Jeffery gasped and Gordon looked away teary-eyed. Ten seconds past, and he finally looked back.
The South Tower of the World Trade Center had disappeared in a thick envelope of smoke. It was gone.
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Gordon's voice message was all the Kimberly heard over the phone as she watched the South Tower fall. She let the device fall from her grasp, and cried.