Grandparents. Grand Stories.
submitted work, Ages 13–17

Cuchion from WWII

Magdalena Musiałowska

About the Creator

I'm 16 years old. I'm a first-year student at a secondary school in Warka. I enjoy reading and I'm learning to play the violin.

My family treasure is a cushion that my great-grandmother received during World War II. She got it from a Polish soldier while they were running away from the war. She was a little girl, only seven years old. She was supposed to go to school and was really excited about it. Unfortunately, at 3 a.m., she and her family heard the air-raid sirens. They ran from Warsaw to Wołomin. Two Polish soldiers were taking care of her, her parents, and her younger siblings. In Wołomin, there was one building — a block of flats. The soldiers told them to hide because the planes would drop bombs at any moment. They hid in the basement of the building. After some time, the planes flew away, so they had to come out of their hiding place. The soldiers gave my great-grandmother the cushion, while her younger sister got an umbrella. They said goodbye and left, leaving my great-grandmother, her mother, and her siblings alone. After that, they left Wołomin and went to Chynów, the place where my great- grandmother lives now. It means a lot, especially to my great-grandmother. It brings back sad memories of World War II, pain and fear, but she is very happy that she survived, my whole family supports her all the time.