Birth

Many people say that you can't remember back to babyhood, and I guess they're right. I try to, but my past is now a foggy memory.

I don't remember the day I was born, but I remember the awful day when I was taken into care. My parents had too many children, so they could not look after me. They washed me and dressed me in a lavender dress before they packed my things. My brothers and sisters said tearful goodbyes before I was put in the car. I thought that it would be the last time I would ever see them.

I was taken to a care home, where my parents said their goodbyes. They unloaded the car, including my baby seat and left me in the care of strangers. I tried to call out for them but they didn't come.

I was taken inside, fed and changed. Afterwards, I found that I had to share a room with another girl, who was named Lucy. Lucy picked me up and twirled me round. I fixed my blue eyes on her. Lucy was doing all the smiling for the both of us. She soon put me down again, both of us breathless.

As Lucy continued with something, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Lucy called. I turned to see who was coming in. The door opened to reveal the stranger I had been with moments before. "Lucy," he said. "This is Sarah Jane Smith. She is a journalist." The woman came in.

"Hello Lucy," she said. "I can see you're busy, so shall I leave you to it?"

"No," Lucy replied. "You can stay. I think that it would be nice for Emma to have someone else around."

Lucy picked me up and I could see the woman clearly. She had short, brown hair and a fringe. Her eyes were hazel and she was wearing a loose, light blue top and a light pink skirt. I tried all I could to smile at her. She smiled back. "She's adorable!" she cried as she gently lifted me out of Lucy's arms. "Why is she here?"

"Her parents had a lot of children," Lucy explained.

"So, Sarah Jane," Lucy began. "What sort of journalism do you do?"

"Just this and that," Sarah Jane replied as I snuggled into her. "Not much." I closed my eyes as I listened to their conversation.

As Lucy lifted me out of Sarah Jane's arms a few minutes later, I began to protest vigorously. I didn't want her to leave. "I think Emma likes you," Lucy told Sarah Jane.

"I think you're right," she replied. "I think I like her too."

"Have you got any information for your story yet?" Lucy asked. Sarah Jane shook her head.

"Not yet," she replied. "But I will come back to play more with Emma later." Then, she was gone.

As Lucy put me down in my cot, the stranger came back again. "Lucy," he said. "I need to talk to you about Emma."

"What about her?" Lucy asked. "Don't tell me that someone wants to adopt her already."

"Someone does," he replied. "The woman who was here earlier, Sarah Jane Smith, wants to adopt her."

"But I like Emma!" Lucy wailed. "Can't she stay?"

"Only for a few days while the adoption papers are sorted out," he told her sternly. "No longer."

Once the stranger left, Lucy began to cry. She plucked me from my cot and held me close. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered.

After that, my memories become foggy. I can remember that the adoption papers got signed and I got adopted by Sarah Jane.