Reports of pins in beds, backpacks are still plaguing students
Remembrance Day may have been over a week ago, but it’s still leaving a mark on some students. While poppies have been the symbolic flower to celebrate the day, there has always been a slight issue with the decorative red flowers. The issue is the long, sharp pin that has stung so many.
“My poppy stabs me whenever I try to put on my coat, sometimes it even makes me bleed!” said second-year engineering student Ella Vader.
While one poppy pin may not be that difficult to deal with, some students are reporting that their collection of pins is somehow multiplying. James Pond, a third-year psychology student at the University of Ottawa, is at a loss to explain this phenomenon. “Every time I reach into my bag, I feel the prick of at least three poppies. I don’t even understand where they’re all coming from!” he said.
This phenomenon is spreading beyond just backpacks and has moved to other areas of students’ lives. This includes the inside of their clothes, and some pins have even been found in their beds between the sheets. “I found one under my pillow,” said second-year economics student Frie Cook.
“I have one in the pocket of my pants, but I can’t get it out because it pokes me every time! It’s been in there for days!” said Anna Graham, a third-year political science student. “I think it’s making a home for itself.”
People have been taking unorthodox measures to keep themselves safe, with many of the best involving the protective use of magnets. “I’ve started running a magnet over my bed before I go to sleep,” said Cook. “I’ve even heard of a company that’s selling gloves made out of magnets to help keep people safe, but they’re pretty polarizing.”
It is not just the students who are affected by this poppy epidemic. The U of O’s cafeteria staff have found them in their work areas. Lynne Gunie, head waffle maker at the cafeteria, spoke up about her intriguing interaction saying, “I was reaching to find a pot in one of our drawers, and felt a small prick. I pulled my arm out and found five poppies stuck into my arm! It was the strangest thing I have ever seen!”
The Government of Canada is recommending that everyone take care with where they place their hands and to approach any poppies with extreme caution.
