You Don't Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine

It’s completely dark outside. With every day that passes I start hating the night more and more. I don’t want the sun to disappear below the horizon but, sadly, that’s not in my control. Evenings are full of the unknown and engulf me in fear.

But the fewer people who know what war is, the better we’ll all be. The world would be a happier place, because there’s nothing worse than war.

I had a wonderful dream last night. I dreamt of my school . . . and, most importantly, of a peaceful sky. My friends and I were running around, carefree. It felt like the good old days. . . . I wish things weren’t the way they are now. I’m so tired of the sound of explosions; I really want to hear the sounds of peacetime again—birds singing and the sound of rain. It was so nice before the war. . . I want to go back to my old life.