Totara House 2014

Pale light shone through the clouds in a weak attempt to make this day better. However, nothing could and it seemed as though nobody would even try to lighten the mood. Today was the day I would leave home perhaps forever. Today was the day I would become a soldier. “You’re making us proud.” My mother whispered in my ear as I boarded the train that would lead me to my new life. My sister pressed a brown package in my hands crying bitterly. Then I was pulled inside and I was left, surrounded by unfamiliar faces. I stumbled back into a seat and pressed my hand against the window waving goodbye. “That might be the last time you ever see them.” A harsh voice in my head whispered. The train moved slowly through the countryside, giving me plenty of time to think. What lay ahead? Cold winters? The sound of guns firing? Screams of pain? The train screeched to a halt. We had arrived. I was ushered towards a room containing eight beds, this was a prison it occured to me. We were on deathrow, destined to suffer. I peeled the brown tape off of the small parcel revealing a memory. I clutched the frame to my chest and flopped back on the bed and thought of what was to come.