The darkness came unexpectedly. One second my father was walking my 7-year-old brother and my 10-year-old self past a bodega in New York City; the next, a shadow descended. The noise of the city stopped. A taxi pulled up nearby and parked in the middle of the road. Feet clacked on the sidewalk once and fell silent. I gripped my brother’s hand and pulled him close. My dad turned around and stared at us, his fear confirming that something wasn’t right—and maybe even very wrong.

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