---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I looked where he was tapping. \"Local…"
description: "\"I looked where he was tapping. \"Local Girl Missing, Feared Dead\" Beneath it was a photo or me-my most recent school photo. \"Oh no.\" My heart filling wi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png"
---

#  I looked where he was tapping. "Local Girl Missing, Feared…

![“I looked where he was tapping. &quot;Local Girl Missing, Feared Dead&quot; Beneath it was a photo or me-my most recent school photo. &quot;Oh no.&quot; My heart filling with dread, i took the paper from Mr. Smith's hands. &quot;Couldn't they have found a better picture?” quote by Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png)

> “I looked where he was tapping. "Local Girl Missing, Feared Dead" Beneath it was a photo or me-my most recent school photo. "Oh no." My heart filling with dread, i took the paper from Mr. Smith's hands. "Couldn't they have found a better picture?”

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Seeing a personal photo in a tragic context triggers dread.

**In simple terms:** Unexpected reminders can cause fear.

Key Takeaway

Stay aware of emotional triggers.

Themes

fear memory unexpected

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

fictional dramatic

When to use this quote

- reading a novel
- processing grief
- handling surprise

Key Concepts

psychology trauma media influence

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do certain images disturb us?
- How can we prepare for emotional shocks?

A Different Perspective

The shock may be amplified by personal relevance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread/) [Dread Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread-took-2286272/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Filling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filling/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Looked Tapping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked-tapping-2286274/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Missing Feared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing-feared-2286271/) [My heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-heart/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School Photo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-photo-2286273/) [Took Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-paper-2286270/)

## Related quotes

> [“Wallace was just the sort who blends into the background of the school photo (or the greeting line at the cotillion) but who, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/wallace-was-just-the-sort-who-blends-into-the-background-of-the/)

[Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/)

> [“I… What are you saying, Zsadist?" she stammered, even though she'd heard every word. He glanced back down at the pencil in his hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/i-what-are-you-saying-zsadist-she-stammered-even-though-she-d-heard/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [Al was standing a bare three feet away, his mood almost jovial as he took the paper and it vanished in a wash of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/al-was-standing-a-bare-three-feet-away-his-mood-almost-jovial-as-he/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [“She took the paper from Yankel's hand, which was damp with rain, and fear of death, and death. Scrawled in a child's writing: Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/she-took-the-paper-from-yankel-s-hand-which-was-damp-with-rain-and/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [“When she’d finished, Blake took the paper from her hands. He folded it and put it in his pocket, where it nestled side by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/when-she-d-finished-blake-took-the-paper-from-her-hands-he-folded-it/)

[Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/)

> [I remember filling my car up in London when an 85-year-old man said to me, 'You've done our age group proud.' That made me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blackburn/i-remember-filling-my-car-up-in-london-when-an-85-year-old-man-said/)

[Tony Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blackburn/)

> [I would love to say there was some contemporary artist who's work really got me thinking, but lately I have just been trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-arcangel/i-would-love-to-say-there-was-some-contemporary-artist-who-s-work/)

[Cory Arcangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-arcangel/)

> [When most people looked at Josie Tyrell, they only saw a certain collection of bones, a selection of forms filling space. But Michael saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/when-most-people-looked-at-josie-tyrell-they-only-saw-a-certain/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/)

[Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/)

> [There was a time when idealistic folksingers such as myself believed that Reality TV was a programming vogue that would peak and recede, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/there-was-a-time-when-idealistic-folksingers-such-as-myself-believed/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [The only way to Heaven is prayer; a prayer of the heart, which every one is capable of, and not of reasonings which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/the-only-way-to-heaven-is-prayer-a-prayer-of-the-heart-which-every/)

[Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/)

> [Because of my tremendous respect for Bob Barker and for the show's high standards of professionalism I consider this a tremendous honor that few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-west/because-of-my-tremendous-respect-for-bob-barker-and-for-the-show-s/)

[Randy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-west/)

> [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/)

[Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/)

> [The sun, a red wheel, was sinking slowly in the west. Besides being spectacularly beautiful, the early-summer sunset was exceedingly soft and gentle: black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/the-sun-a-red-wheel-was-sinking-slowly-in-the-west-besides-being/)

[Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/)

> [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/)

[Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/)

## More by Meg Cabot

> [And I like a good horror story as much as the next person so long as they kill off some men too and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/and-i-like-a-good-horror-story-as-much-as-the-next-person-so-long-as/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [My family, they're story tellers. My mom is Irish, and my dad is Italian. In my family, we weren't allowed to watch TV while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/my-family-they-re-story-tellers-my-mom-is-irish-and-my-dad-is-italian/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something is more important than fear; The brave may not live forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/courage-is-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-rather-the-judgement-that/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [“No one has ever died of embarrassment-never, not once in the whole history of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/no-one-has-ever-died-of-embarrassment-never-not-once-in-the-whole/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [What's the point? was my attitude. We're all just going to die and then NOT be let on the boat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/what-s-the-point-was-my-attitude-we-re-all-just-going-to-die-and-then/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Meg Cabot is the best author ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/meg-cabot-is-the-best-author-ever/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [oh my god, she said are you going to be reasonable about this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/oh-my-god-she-said-are-you-going-to-be-reasonable-about-this/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Nikki "Brandon's never hurt anyone. He's competely sweet and adorable." I choked a little on the sip of sparkling water I'k just swallowed. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/nikki-brandon-s-never-hurt-anyone-he-s-competely-sweet-and-adorable-i/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [“Very little in life if fair, Susannah”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/very-little-in-life-if-fair-susannah/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [“Of course it’s real, you bloody git,” Frank said to the young man behind the fruit cart, who had apparently questioned the legitimacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/of-course-it-s-real-you-bloody-git-frank-said-to-the-young-man-behind/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Strong female characters - even if they don't necessarily make the same decisions that we might - make such great narrative material, especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/strong-female-characters-even-if-they-don-t-necessarily-make-the-same/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [“Communication goes two ways. Somebody has to talk. And somebody has to listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/communication-goes-two-ways-somebody-has-to-talk-and-somebody-has-to/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [“Cal: “I’m not presuming. I know exactly what you think about me. You think I’m an anal-retentive Armrest Nazi . . . an arrogant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/cal-i-m-not-presuming-i-know-exactly-what-you-think-about-me-you/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [High school sucks. People who say those were the best years of your life - those people are liars... Who wants the best years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/high-school-sucks-people-who-say-those-were-the-best-years-of-your/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [And try to remember what we discussed, Susannah. A mediator is someone who helps others resolve conflicts. Not someone who, er, kicks them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/and-try-to-remember-what-we-discussed-susannah-a-mediator-is-someone/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

[Explore all 532 Meg Cabot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

## More Dread quotes

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Smart people duck when they hear the dread announcement 'I'm going to be perfectly honest with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/smart-people-duck-when-they-hear-the-dread-announcement-i-m-going-to/)

[Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/)

> [In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-times-of-dread-artists-must-never-choose-to-remain-silent/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Oh, I'm being eaten By a boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, A boa constrictor, I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor, And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/oh-i-m-being-eaten-by-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa-constrictor-a-boa/)

[Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/)

> [Present sufferings seem far greater to men than those they merely dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/present-sufferings-seem-far-greater-to-men-than-those-they-merely/)

[Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/)

> [The advance of science spares us from irrational dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-advance-of-science-spares-us-from-irrational-dread/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-think-writer-s-block-is-simply-the-dread-that-you-are-going-to/)

[Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/)

> [I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/i-think-most-amateurs-dread-playing-a-180-plus-yard-par-3-even-more/)

[Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/)

> [The psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-psychological-condition-of-fear-is-divorced-from-any-concrete-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Back to the bad. Makes them mad. Say I won't . But you'll see it when I do. Don't have a clue? Well, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/back-to-the-bad-makes-them-mad-say-i-won-t-but-you-ll-see-it-when-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There is a certain freedom in giving up all hope. One is no longer bound by the cords of dread or fear; you simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/there-is-a-certain-freedom-in-giving-up-all-hope-one-is-no-longer/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/)

[Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/)

> [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/)

[E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/)

> [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [Communism worked honestly by officials devoid of human frailties and devoted to nothing but the good of its slaves, would have certain manifest material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/communism-worked-honestly-by-officials-devoid-of-human-frailties-and/)

[Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/)

[Browse all 813 Dread quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dread/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I looked where he was tapping. \"Local Girl Missing, Feared Dead\" Beneath it was a photo or me-my most recent school photo. \"Oh no.\" My heart filling with dread, i took the paper from Mr. Smith's hands. \"Couldn't they have found a better picture?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Meg Cabot"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl-missing-feared-dead-beneath/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dread"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl-missing-feared-dead-beneath/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/meg-cabot-460_dread_i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl_1832569.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I looked where he was tapping. \"Local Girl Missing, Feared Dead\" Beneath it was a photo or me-my most recent…” — Meg Cabot",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Meg Cabot",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I looked where he was tapping....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl-missing-feared-dead-beneath/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-looked-where-he-was-tapping-local-girl-missing-feared-dead-beneath/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
