Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER.
They walked across the road to the shore to see the first of the magnificent 6-mast refugee ships sailing in from afar. A local boy’s sunglasses reflected the many colourful flags that flew from the lines that cascaded down from the ship’s masts. These flags were evidence of the many countries that had contributed to this world changing event. They had come from all over, sailing seas from many regions of middle earth, of where it seemed no area had been spared from inhuman atrocities.
The first time refugees tried to flee their war torn lands, was many years earlier, in boats, which at the time created no end of political and public attention of mixed support. Attention that never seemed to find an effective solution. However, the occupants of these ‘ships’ could now reflect on the great international fuss that eventually directed positive efforts to save them and resolve a worldwide dilemma. These large refugee ships had replaced years of refugee boats that usually sank, causing even greater hardship for those on board. These magnificent 6-mast ships now provided comfortable safe transport with time along the way to legally process all on board before reaching their new homes.
“I recognise you from the tellie!” a young boy shouted with excitement from the shore, “you are the people who are coming to live with us!” His nearby friend, the little girl next door, was also excited, having spent much of her time preparing for their arrival. She found the bike she had almost forget she owned, and after many hours of cleaning and polishing, it was ready for her to give to one of her new friends. Friends, she was sure, would be many.
The ship docked. It began to rain. Rain was a new experience for many of the refugees, especially the children, who had travelled from far away desert lands. The rain was symbolic of washing away a sad past. And after the rain came the sun and a bright new future.