Dear Diary,
It’s Sophie again, Today is October 4th 1914! Me and my little brother Max are in Paris, France. We are in the attic with all the lights off. Its WWI air raids are going off daily. I’m 12 and Max is 7. Max is small for his age. He has thick, brown, wavy hair and blue eyes. Our clothes are all dirty and raggy because we’re not allowed out of the attic. The attic is damp, dark and scary but we have no choice but to stay in. There are huge spiders dangling down from the rusty ceiling. Over in the corner there is a hole in the roof. Water comes through it daily. We put a bucket under it. We get 1-2 buckets full a day.
Our dad is at war along with my uncle. Dad has been away since August 12th. We have had one letter since then. He said on the letter he was fine. That the Germans are strong. He’s on the front line most days. Me and my brother anxiously sit in the attic hoping we don’t get a telegram for dad. Mum had to get a new job as a nurse to help the injured soldiers. She comes home late most days but we don’t mind. I have lost contact with all of my friends. I hope they’re okay. Max understands why dad’s away but doesn’t know that dad could get killed.
Loudly the bombs hit off the ground with force. All the schools have been bombed. Scarily a couple of houses down have been bombed. That day was really scary. Mum tells me there are dead bodies lying on the streets. That gives me the shivers. We haven’t had fresh air for days because we’re not allowed outside unless it’s to get food. Fires breakout after the bombs hit the ground. Every day it gets worse.
Food is scarce. I have to leave Max in the attic for a couple of hours on his own. Cautiously I go to the shop. Longingly I wait in the horrendously long queue for hours. After I pay I quickly run home staying alert all the way. Water isn’t a big problem for us. We might not have the cleanest water but we still have enough. We drink the water from in the buckets from the roof. When we go to the toilet and flush the water takes forever to fill back up. We eat vegetables most days it’s really boring and repetitive. The bread is really hard and chewy. Disgustingly the bakers put sawdust in it to make it bulk out. It tastes horrible.
The weather was quite bad. We have had horrendous rain. My teeth chitter on really cold days. Our blankets are old and raggy. Coldly we huddle together to keep toasty and warm. Sometimes I can’t sleep because of the loud thunder and rain pattering loudly off the skylight window.
We want to leave but can’t. The Germans have surrounded us. Even if we try we are risking getting killed. Worryingly we are planning to stay in the attic for a little longer. As I am writing this I can hear mum coming back from work. That is the highlight of my day seeing mum come back. Unsurprisingly I didn’t get much sleep last night because of the rain. I am going to spend some time with mum and then go to bed. I hope I can see dad soon.
By Sophie
Sanquhar Primary School
