Sophia woke up to the sound of rain tapping on the shelter's window. Her stuffed rabbit Bunny was tucked under her arm, the only toy she had brought when they left home. Mama was already awake, braiding little Misha's hair while humming a familiar lullaby. Sophia smiled and joined in the song, her voice making Mama's tired eyes light up.

In the basement of the community center, Sophia arranged colorful pencils for the children's art class. "Today we'll draw our dream houses," she announced to the five children who gathered around the small table. The youngest boy, Petro, drew a house with a giant rainbow stretching across the roof. Sophia pinned all their artwork on the wall, creating a colorful patchwork of hope against the gray concrete.

Grandmother gave Sophia a small packet of sunflower seeds she had saved. "Plant these where you can, little one - they will bring Ukraine's sunshine back," she whispered with a wink. Sophia carefully planted them in pots along the community center's entrance, watering them each morning. When the first green shoots appeared, children gathered around to watch them grow taller each day.

As summer arrived, Sophia's sunflowers bloomed, their bright faces turning toward the sun. People from around the neighborhood brought chairs outside to sit beneath them, sharing stories and sometimes even laughing. "Someday we'll plant these everywhere," Sophia told Bunny as she collected seeds from the tallest flower. In her pocket notebook, she drew a map of her hometown, marking all the places where sunflowers would grow when she returned.