Notes to Escape the Nazi's

Chapter 1

Nanny Heidi tightened the patterned bow that draped across my dress.

"Are you ready for your father to come home, Essie?" she asked in her melodious voice. Heidi gently spun me around to face her. Her blue dress was wrinkled from the way she was crouching. Her long blonde hair glistened in the candle light.

The dining room was set out with food for my fathers home coming dinner. He had been away for a whole month on work.

The sun was setting behind the trees that covered my back yard. I could see the narrow path that led to my tree house. In the freshly polished silver, a face stared back at me. The shoulder length, light blonde hair framed a thin, pale face. Brilliant blue eyes sparkled.

There was the loud sound of a door shutting. I moved swiftly through the many rooms and ran to greet my dad. There he stood, wearing his forest green uniform. The red nazi symbol blazed on his upper right arm. I kept my eyes from the angry, red mark.

He wrapped me in a hug. I had missed him so much. Things were lonely here with just Nanny Heidi. I leaned back and grinned. I looked almost nothing like him; I had my mothers eyes, hair, and nose. His hair was short and bristly, his eyes a blackish brown, and his nose was far more long than mine. Truthfully, I resembled Heidi more.

"Mr. Williams, so glad to have you back," Nanny Heidi said from the doorway. Her hands pulled at the corners of her dress as she dipped into a graceful curtsey.

The three of us settled into the soft chairs that surrounded the ornate, mahogany table. We all scooped helpings of ham and beans onto our plates.

"How has school been, Essie? Are happy it is finished?" he asked, placing the fork back on the ham plater.

"Yes, father. I have been doing well, though." I took a sip of water from my glass. I was very happy to get out of the school building. It smelled of chalk and sweat and the other children were quite rude.

"I am sorry I missed your thirteenth birthday," he said. My birthday was three weeks ago. He had been gone for seven.

"It is fine." My eyes stayed trained on the back of the wall, "I know you would have been there if you could have."

"How have things been in the government, lately?" Nanny Heidi asked.

"Things have been great. Hitler is a very good leader. The Nazi Army will acheive great things."

My spoon slipped on my china. Lately, I have been very touchy with this subject. Why everyone felt the need to discriminate against Jews I could not understand. They are different, but why does that matter? So their religious views are not the same. So they are a different race. It's not like I could say anything to him, but I wish my father was not involved. Sadly, he is a general.

Nanny Heidi walked over and took my empty plate. After being dismissed by my papa, I went to my room.

It was in the back of the house. A small room painted pink, even though this was my least favorite color. I was babied by my father. He was never home, so he knew nothing about me. He was constantly buying me things I did not need or want.

I lay down on my flowery bed, my head resting on the light blue pillow. My shoes pinched my toes. My hair pins dug into my head.

The sun was set, so I would be sent to bed soon. I unzipped the girly dress and replaced it with a silky nightgown. My black shoes were kicked into a corner and I crawled under my covers. I could see the smoke from my fathers cigarette drifting up outside my window.

I woke up to the chirping of birds. They always nested in our yard during the summer. One time, a robin got stuck inside my tree house. Nanny Heidi had to take a broom and shoo him out.