麻豆社

by Dulcie, aged 9

I had no idea that I could become something so beautiful. I began life as brownish lump in the cold earth until I was dug up and taken to a place called Derby. Here, human hands massaged, moulded and shaped me. I sunbathed in a hot cave that dried me like the desert sun. Finally, I was covered in red paint and glistened like a rare ruby. I was beautiful but I wasn’t the only one. There was thousands just like me but not one of us was the same. We were unique.

The journey in the bumpy lorry was fun – us brothers and sisters were safely wrapped up in cushions of bubbles – but where were we going? Eventually, the lorry stopped, the back was thrown open and there before us loomed a ginormous tower.

Gentle hands like feathers took me from my slumber in to the bright sunshine. My red coat gleamed in the sun and I felt warm again. It was amazing, there were so many humans carrying us all towards the tower. I could see that lots of my kind was already standing proudly to attention around the building. I heard my human say that I was number ten thousand and forty and that I would be the first Poppy that she had planted. So that’s what I was!

As I was planted back in to my home, the human had water in her eyes, what was this? With my petals open to the sun, I took my place next to my family, where I belonged.

Many days and nights passed with swarms of humans coming to gaze upon us. There were so many different sounding voices. Boxes were pointed at us that flashed in the sky and many humans had water in their eyes as well. My Poppy family soon learned why we were here and what we were for. We were made to celebrate and remember all those humans who fought during the First World War that began in 1914. Each of us represented a brave, faithful soldier who died for our country. Eight hundred and eighty eight thousand, two hundred and forty six of us were planted, making a sea of red around the famous Tower of London. We looked like the land had been swept with blood. As sad as this was, we were also beautiful. I was so honoured.

I stayed with my poppy family for weeks until one day I was raised from the earth and embraced again by my cushion of bubbles. Once more I was taken in a lorry but this time I was alone. After many hours, I found myself being taken carefully out of my soft cocoon to be gazed upon by a little human girl. She smiled and took me to a place where I could see out in to a beautiful garden, where the wind gently blew the flowers. So, here I stay, wondering where in the world the rest of my poppy family are.