Despite being one of the most heavily guarded places in the world, it felt the opposite of safe. A maze of buildings served as the perfect battleground for the forces of nature that evening. I cannot recall everything that was going on, but all I knew is that my family was headed the other direction. Whether it was in reality before me, or shown through a memory, I retrieved an altered view of the world I live in.

My elementary mind thought to itself, “This must be the safest and most peaceful city since the president lives here!” Back then I always had fears of the big mazes of buildings and the dangers that lie within them. Despite growing up right next to one, I seemed to have not been so desensitized. At a young age, the world is a lot bigger than you think it is. My entire world was a small portion of the midwest, but I couldn't fathom the worlds away Europe or Africa were.

Hesitant but confident, I packed my anxiety and skepticism in my suitcase, being sure to double check it was there. I felt could not leave them behind, as they were a necessity for being away from home. I always saw these places in movies and pictures, but now I was about to come face to face with them. I had been on a vacation in far away places before, but I always had the anxiety of potential danger there.

A few days into our trip, things seemed fine, but in my narrow perception, I saw differently one night. The streets were muggy and hot, giving off a tense and stressed feeling. The buildings around me read a tired look, asking for a night’s rest. I watched robots around me journey their way from point A to point B to fulfill their master’s requests. My family and I wandered through the maze of buildings, in and out of stores after dinner that evening.

I spotted a small keychain, in one of the stores, appearing to be a nice souvenir from the trip. Upon requesting purchasing the 2 dollar souvenir, My Dad and I proceeded to check out. My sister and mother waited outside, ready to return to the hotel, to renew their energy for the next day. Once I had my token, my Dad and I left to meet with my Mother and Sister outside. My mom had a troubled look as she looked at my Dad walking out. “We should probably head back to the hotel” She remarked with a concerned and pleading tone in her request. Looking to my side, I noticed a small flood of red water growing in the street.

My parents began to guide my sister and I back in the direction of the hotel, shielding us from the situation. I had a pair of glasse I refused to wear with me, and decided to wear them to see the situation better. I peered between my shoulder and my Dad’s arm seeing the sea of red growing greater and greater. The waters from all over the city came and met, creating a culminating immense clash. Eventually, deterrents were sent to subdue the rising flood, but proved to fail at curbing the violent waves. As my vision grew smaller, the flood caught up with it’s size. Imaginary walls closed in on me, centering my vision on the flood. The once muggy air began to feel like the biting chill of the winter. The buildings around me only grew more tired and morose. The mass of water migrated closer to the subway station and carried on down it, plowing over anything in its path. The flood vanished from my vision in a matter of a minute upon leaving it. The moment we were fully away from the scene, I spotted little red puddles left from the event, staining the unforgiving asphalt. I took off my glasses, expressing distaste for what they let me see.

I felt I had given into fears, but what could I do after witnessing it. It hit me like a punch in the gut, saying “wake up!”, “Not everything is safe!”

Upon waking up the next day, still petrified, I was greeted with the follow up of the previous night’s incident. The man trapped in our hotel television reported that the red flood busted through the gates, seeping through the downtown area. The flood snaked through the metro and out, reaching its demise by the end of the night. He continued to read the unforgiving nature of the flood as it plowed down innocents in its path, demonstrating it’s shameless brutality.

I grew wary for the rest of our trip whenever we traversed through the downtown area. This fear was diminished in later years, but nonetheless, I had a very different perspective of the world. I walked the sidewalks of eggshells, watching for the sea of red to come back at any moment. It was trivial for me to be paranoid about something I had no part of.

Unzipping my suitcase, I grabbed my anxiety, and wore it for the rest of the trip. Only halfway through that trip, the flood had caught up to me, but then by the end, I didn't meet, but discovered the culmination of floods, storms, and every devastating force.

Among the many boxes of American memories throughout this city, my family strode into another on the final day. Within it, several large structures with great historical significance were showcased. Nearing the end of the exhibition stood a tall mangled spire, that looked as if it had seen the apocalypse. Surrounding the spire on the walls were hundreds of newspapers with the date September 11th 2001. Under the date of each newspaper were pictured, all orange, merciless explosions, appearing to be something impossible reaching the front pages.

I could not process many of the things that stood before me throughout that week, but this was the one that I had the hardest time with. Processing much of what I saw was like a square peg fitting in a circular hole. My parents, as they always did, had to explain something in a way that I could achieve some sort of grasp on the concept at hand. They put on my glasses and spoke to me with eloquence and seriousness, painting the image in my mind, that would stick with me for the rest of my life. They explained to me with understanding of what little knowledge I had of the world at that age. I looked back at the exhibit, with my glasses on, and saw the details and truth behind it.

Between both days, the real world feel upon me like a crumbling wall of bricks. I came on this family trip with an untarnished view of the world, and came back with an understanding of what the world really is. It is the point in life where you see what was once tranquility, morph into disorder. How the world seemed to be in accord with each other, only to realize how there are missiles pointed in every direction.

I contemplated until I reached the safety of the my home, how can the capital of the world run efficiently with a flood at its doorstep, or how could the country function after enduring such terror. Ignorance is bliss when you are young. When you are young, your vision is blurry, not letting you see everything in detail. When you are then given the glasses, everything is clear, and you see the true appearance of everything you've known.