A red, red rose

1 I suppose everyone has something they don’t like about themselves. For me, it was the birthmark on my face. It was bright red, the colour of a strawberry.

2 Sometimes, I felt people secretly looking at my face. But when I turned my head, they looked away. On crowded buses and trains, it felt just like a disaster. With so many people around me, my birthmark burned red hot. Therefore, I always kept my hair long to cover it until that day.

3 It was a cloudy morning. A new student named Maddie arrived in our class. She sat right beside me. Instead of looking away, Maddie studied my face. This made me so nervous. Clouds came through the window and filled my heart. Suddenly, she said something I would never forget.

4 “Sally, right?” she said. “You have a red rose on your face. How beautiful!”

5 I looked up and met her smiling eyes. Although I only replied “thank you”, it turned sunny in my heart. When I got home, I rushed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. For the first time, I could look at my birthmark without quickly turning away. The shape of it was truly like a flower. The next day, to my surprise, Maddie painted a red rose on her own face!

6 I haven’t told Maddie yet how she has changed me. I have already learnt that I am what I am. Everyone has something special and different — that is what’s interesting.