Six Seconds
“I could hardly see.
There was dust and smoke everywhere, my eyes were stinging and I started to cough.
In the distance behind me,I could hear a siren.
I clambered further onto the pile of bricks and twisted metal to find a way inside.
Somebody outside was shouting for me to stop.
Somebody inside was crying for help.
I felt the rough bricks scratching my hands and legs as I kept moving.
I leaned forward onto part of the crumbling wall and suddenly something shifted under me.
I was falling, sliding down into a gap that had opened up between parts of the collapsed building.
The noise from outside grew fainter as I slid and then tumbled head first into the gap.
Bricks and pieces of broken glass and wood were moving around me as I struggled to stop my fall. I couldn't even tell where the ground was.
Finally I stopped falling.I was lying on the floor, dust swirling around me.
It was dark and silent. The noises from outside had stopped. All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, and my beating heart thumping in my ears.
Then I heard the cry again: the cry for help.It was coming from further inside… “
Six seconds is a book based on a real story and illustrated by Alan Sunderland.
It's based on the story of the Newcastle earthquake which occurred during the year 1989, on December 28.
The main character of the story Michael grew up by the beach in Newcastle most of his life which means football, sandcastles and school. Micheal’s mum is a journalist and his small world gets bigger as he starts to pay attention to the news. His interests turn into anxiety and obsession as Micheael begins to see the world as a dangerous place that is fast collapsing around him. When the Berlin Wall comes down. Most see it as a sign of change and freedom but Micheal isn't convinced.
But when an earthquake hits his hometown. Micheal discovered that the worst that can happen is not always as bad as your fears.
I strongly recommend people to read this book because it teaches you that the worst that can happen are not your fears.
It’s also a fantastic book for people who want to learn about the Newcastle earthquake from somebody else's perspective.
Written by, Matthew Hokmita
