Roland

from Between Mars and Me by Rose Helsinger

Genre: Drama

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Roland, a paranoid college student is incapable of leaving his apartment. Here, he talks about his experience with the events of 9/11, which he thought was an alien attack. This character may also be female.

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ROLAND

You don't understand. That it wasn't far away for me. It was right there. I walked by those buildings every day. I had friends who worked there. A girl I went on a couple dates with. Guys from school. The woman who lived in the apartment above me. We would meet in the hallway, waiting for the elevator. She was so excited when she got that internship. She had a dog. This big, fat golden retriever. He hated being left alone, so he would make that pleading noise at her door until she came home from work. And after, her dog just kept whining. I could hear him scratching and howling above me. I convinced myself it was the Martians digging down to find me and eventually a neighbor must have taken him to a shelter or something. But he's a dog. He'll never understand what happened or why he'll never see her again. He's just a fat, dumb dog that'll keep waiting for her to come home. Tail wagging and tongue out. Any minute, he thinks. Any minute. You don't understand. You didn't lose anyone.