My First Night Living At A New Neighborhood

And all of a sudden we hear the high winds screeching creepily from outside our house, the branches were loudly scratching and scraping against the house loudly. As I looked around I got more and more freaked out. There were boxes everywhere creating shadows from our flashlight and creating darkness that the flashlight couldn't fill. My entire family was scared, as scared as a chipmunk would be if a lion was in it’s tree. My Dad was searching for something in a sea of darkness, my mom trying to comfort my now crying siblings with a horrifying worried look on her face and me thinking to myself, When will it be done, what damage will it do and Oh No. As I thought I heard something crack from outside of my house, and then

It had finally arrived. Moving day. I was finally leaving my home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after five short years and a sort of gloom lingered in the air. Although many teenagers would be excited to reunite with their family, friends, and childhood home, I, however, was frightened of the future. I woke up that morning and just laid there and listened to the sound of the rain pittering against the roof and windows, pattering against the surrounding forest in which I shared many memories. After what felt like centuries of just listening and reflecting, I got up and looked out the window. I looked at my neighbor's house across the field of grass which separated our houses and at the kids who had become like my siblings. I looked at the ice

Looking through the glass, a car zoomed past the fifteen miles per hour speed limit blasting obnoxiously loud music and laughter. The rusty blue mailbox with the dent in front was still there next to the barren oak tree. Repetitive banging started nearby and I almost fell back. Bright yellow lights were on at the attic window at the house next door. This would usually start about two to three in the morning, but by then, I would usually fall asleep. This was strange considering that the neighborhood considered that house to be vacant. It was assumed that the person who bought the house was using the house as a vacation rental house since every week, a family group or couple would move in with their suitcases and leave at the end of the week. A strange banana yellow car was parked at the front of the house next door. Maybe the owner had come to make repairs? But the question remained as to why they would make repairs in the middle of the

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! There was a knock the door late at night. There was a letter, it was from the manager at the sunny slope apartments. The next morning we opened the letter. It said we were getting evicted. We didn’t know why. But we knew what it meant, we had to move! We were so worried, because we didn’t know where we could move or even worst of all we didn’t know if we were going to have to move a different school. I had been at that school my whole life, and known all of my friends there.

Although, the reader has experience a home invasion four years ago but thankfully no one was present during the time. Those robbers did take away valuable items but life is more important than those items that can be easily replaced. It’s sad to see many stories of home invasion since that’s when people want to rest and be worried free. But, today robbers continue to hunt down house to steal valuable items and hurt the homeowners if needed. All we can do is take precaution of all the stories to keep not only our neighborhood safe but the

I find myself looking over my shoulder every time I step outside my front door. Violence has opened my eyes and destroyed my dreams of peace. When I first moved to Philadelphia from Puerto Rico, I moved into a neighborhood that was full of gangs and drugs. Philadelphia represented a new start, a chance for me to breathe again. I had experienced a tragic shooting right before my ten year old eyes in Puerto Rico; my mom’s best friend was killed, while the murderer calmly walked away. We escaped to Philadelphia, and I thought my days of witnessing horrific violence were over. However, my dreams were shattered like gunshots in the night. One day, while I was napping, I was awoken by a series of deafening pops. As soon as I heard them, I dropped

Outside, a deep silence fell over the neighborhood. This silence crept into every household. Members of the community had a guise of anger and pain expressed on their faces. Everyone locked themselves inside, to lament such a tragedy that has brought sorrow to a twelve years old’s family. Parents fell on their knees with tears in their eyes. This last murder represented the final straw. So many of their own had been murdered by the malicious, metallic, monsters that were supposed to be the defenders of their community. They felt insecure, threatened by the

My town has a way of sheltering me; it’s relative uniformity and low crime rates represent a different society than what appears in the media. But I read the news; I assumed I knew what the rest of the world was like. In reality, I had a muted perception of people’s lives in other places. It’s as if I were exempt from the effects of the violence and evils happening

I reached in my pocket for my pen so I could sketch some flowers. I pulled out a few dollars bills, and I remembered my mother gave me money so I could buy some milk for her. I turned around and went to the grocery. I went into the milk section, grabbed a jug, and headed to the checkout. The man in front of me in the line was staring at me. He looked at me like I was a vicious beast. I began to feel uncomfortable. The teenage brothers behind me were rough housing and when one threw a punch, they knocked me with their elbow. I couldn’t keep my balance. I went diving towards the ground, and I hit the man in the back with my nose. He fell to the ground, holding both his arms like he broke them. I got up and tried to help him up. He was backing up in fear saying, “Monster, you monster.” Everyone began to stare and back away from me, even the brothers. It was completely silent. I could hear my breathing. I heard one of the employees whisper to someone, “Call 911.” Then I bolted out the front door. I ran as fast as my little feet could go. In the corner of my eye I could see people behind me. They were catching up to me. At this point, I knew I couldn’t run any longer. I started to stumble and then, I felt a hand hook my shell. I went flying back. After that, the moment was surreal. I knew my mom was going to kill me, if the police don’t first. I don’t even remember much of it

We always lived in apartments, considering the rent and utilities were lower than a house. This meant that I never had a backyard to play in or that I had much privacy. Housing also affected my family’s health as a result of the people living above us making noise at night. The constant noise made it hard to sleep at night. The location of the town that I grew up in was average, in terms of safety and the quality of life it provided the community. However, we were situated next to a town that is well known for gangs, drugs and the occasional shooting. Eventually the accessibility to weed and drugs was there and in high school countless friends smoked and partook in risky behaviors. As well, violence became a safety issue for me when individuals from a neighboring town crossed over to ours looking for trouble. The town we lived in was safe, but we were still surrounded by other towns that were not. Here, the urban environment was structured to segregate us by our race. Most of the North Plainfield population is Hispanic, White and African American, respectively. The conflicts between neighboring towns that had greater African American populations that had turf wars with the Hispanic populations in our town is also something worth mentioning.

My daughter immediately began packing her stuff; she was going back to her Nana’s house. After packing what I felt was important and securing the backdoor as well as we could, we left and went back to my mom’s house. The next day I called the owner and told him I was moving back home. I felt defeated and taken advantage of. Not taken advantage of by the owner, but just in general, by life. I asked the two neighbors closest to me if they had notice anyone around my place the day before, but no one saw anything. The elderly man that was normally sitting outside by his fence was at the hospital with his wife all day. The male who lived directly next door stated he worked all night so he was sleeping the majority of the day. So we packed what was left of our items and just like that we were back home, back in my childhood room. We were going back to where we felt secure and protected. It was a short experience, but it showed me how looks can be deceiving and sometimes we don’t always make the right choices at the right time. I felt so vulnerable, but at the same time I felt I was meant to go through that situation so that I could appreciate what I had. It wasn’t about being an adult or being on my own, but being able to protect what I loved and cared the most about. I loved my shoes, especially my Nike Air Jordan’s to be

The stone streets were a veil at this time of night, with who knows how many menacing horrors hiding behind the curtain. The lingering gas hovering over the ground was timid, dispersing at the sight of anyone who strayed near. The moon tried to pry into the city’s shadows, but it was too thick to cut. The buildings were nothing but faded memories: gray, eroded structures that once boasted splendor and beauty. Street rats, both rodent and human, scuttled about in the alleyways, knocking assortments over and fleeing if anyone walked past, just like the gas. A dog barked in the distance. Car horns blared on 5th Avenue nearby. Tank sighed. No place like home.

Most people stopped smiling. Screams were heard. Dancing stopped. Why were people screaming? All I heard was the beat of the music. People began running towards the front door, into the bathroom, behind the bar. Anywhere they could hide. I stood on my tiptoes to see the commotion, A guy was holding a gun, shooting us. Bodies dropped rapidly. My heart sunk. Where was Travis? Kendra? I couldn’t find my best friends. Still on my tiptoes, I looked around. I saw Kendra. Then a crowd of people engulfed her and I could no longer see her. I hoped that my friends would be okay before I rushed into the bathroom. A small pile of people cowered together upon hearing the bathroom door swing open. They thought I was him. Once seeing I held no weapon, they yanked my t-shirt sleeve and pulled me into the pile of crying, shaking, scared friends. I pulled out my phone, clicking it on then opening the thread of messages between my mom and I. Quickly, I typed a brief explanation of what was happening and where I was. I sent an ‘I love you both’ before shoving my phone back in my pocket. I gripped a stranger’s hand tightly, tears rushing down my face like a waterfall. A sob choked in my throat, causing my breath to hitch, letting out a hiccup. A stranger hugged me closer. The shouts wouldn’t leave my head. I heard them all over, I heard the shrieks, the calls for help. Why is this happening? was all I could think. I squeezed my eyes shut, throwing my hands over my ears,

By the time I arrived home, sirens were blaring all around me. It sounded like they were moving in a ring, slowly converging on me like a pack of wolves. I pulled into the driveway and saw that my house was still standing. It didn’t look like there was much damage. My neighbor’s house, on the other hand, had been flattened to a pancake. I walked in the front door and I finally saw the damage. Shelves were down, the refrigerator was leaning against the island, all the contents of my cupboards were laying on the floor, and the top of my oven had shattered. Even though it'll take a lot of work to clean the mess up, I was grateful that my house was still standing and I was uninjured. I went into the living room and the TV was still intact, so I turned it on and switched to the news. That was when I saw the

You awaken in the apartment bedroom, news blaring on the television and the sound of a helicopter soaring outside. You stayed up way too late and do not remember all of the details but flashes of moments: drinking whiskey, chaos in the streets, your sister packing suitcases, and police cars lining up along the major avenues like makeshift border crossings.