WRITER'S NOTE:

Hi guys! this is my first upload to the website! I hope you enjoy it! This story was written way back in 2009, and got me an A grade at school! I realise that its been a few years since then, but hopefully its still good? please let me know your opinion by leaving a review, or by tweeting me on Twitter! MissDanniBrown :) thankyou! -Danni x

Poppy In Paradise

by Danni Brown

Her eyes fluttered open as the sunset's orange flames welcomed her. She yawned as she turned on her side to be faced with a mass of grass. Puzzled, she sat up. Rubbing her eyes she took a fresh look... where was she? She looked into the distance. The trees leaves fell softly on the riverbank. She curled up as the wind swept past her, wrapping her arms closer to her fragile frame. Suddenly, she was so cold. Her white cotton dress let the cold in easily. She took in the scenery, she could hear that the birds were singing their song whilst flying north. Thoughts flew about her head - she felt as if she had forgot something. Why couldn't she remember how she got here?

'Did it hurt?', she turned around.

The first thing she noticed was his shades. They made his eyes look like black holes, digging into the earth. His hair was baby brown, flicked over at the side. His jeans were tattered, red fingerprints all over his white ripped t-shirt. The red looked like blood, she looked back up at his smiled warmly.

'Did it hurt?' he asked again, kneeling on the grass next to her.

'Did what hurt?' She replied, confused.

He smiled again as he brushed his Jeans.

'You don't know where you are, do you sweetheart?' He titled his head and pinched her cheek. 'Bless ya babes'

She drew back, rubbing her cheek where he just pinched. 'Where am I?' Her voice was quaked.

'Paradise.' He whispered dramatically letting out a howl of a laugh.

She laughed back uneasily. This guy was a nutter. She was making an escape route in her head. Run away. Say she had chores. But where too? She didn't know where she was?

She smiled at him, anything to buy time.

'I remember waking up here' He went on. 'Still had the knife in my back. Man, that didn't feel too good.' He flashed a smile.

'Knife?' She whispered curiously. 'Didn't that hurt?'

'Nar. Well, it wasn't comfortable cause I fell' He replied, twisting his fingers.

'You - fell?' She whispered.

'Yeah. You did too.'

'But I -'

'didn't feel a thing' He butted in.

She nodded.

'That's cause you were unconscious.'

'But - But how, why?' She was confused more than ever.

The boy turned to face her.

'I never got to introduce myself, My name's Sam - Sam Hughes'

'Poppy' She replied numbly.

She stopped in her thought.

'Don't lie' She rasped at him.

He smiled weakly, his huge sunglass eyes still looking at her.

'I was walking home one night from the pub. I saw three men attacking a young girl. Naturally, I went to the rescue. I got stabbed in the back four times. The paramedics did what they could but its the NHS, you know how they are' He added with a weak smile.

Silence filled the gap in which thoughts twirled in her mind.

'You died.' She said aimlessly, whispering it softly. 'I saw it everywhere, in the papers, everywhere.' She looked up. 'If you're dead, does this mean that I -'

She remembered.

Lights. Screaming. The police. The Guns. Oh those Guns. The cold metal barrel against your skin was enough to make you squirm. It made her squirm.

Her face must of said it all.

Well done kiddo' He remarked.

'Im - Im dead?' She questioned.

'When people get buried, they don't stay in their graves forever you know? They sink down into the earth and eventually fall into paradise. You're in paradise, you fell from your grave into our sky' He said.

'We're different here, We're near the core of the earth so we always get our amber skies instead of your original blue one, When you feel the cold, its one person leaving the earth plane and coming to paradise'
He paused, pointing over to an old telephone box in the distance. She had never noticed it before.

'You can talk to old friends and family on the earth plane by using the telephone. It will connect you to the local psychic, give them the message for your family and they should get given it'

She nodded numbly.

'But I'm dead' She said as the first tear of many rolled down her cheek.
He held her hand tightly and kissed her on the cheek.

'You are not dead Poppy, you are just starting to live.'