Notes to Escape the Nazi's

Chapter 2

All I remember of last night was my dreams of giant math equations chasing me down the path to my tree house. One had caught me, which made me jolt awake.

Outside my window, the sky was still an inky color. Eager to know the time, I crept out to the kitchen to look at the clock. My door creaked so loud, I was sure it would wake the whole house. I tiptoed in my bare feet across the hallway. There was a light on in Papa's office.

When I got close enough I could hear him talking on his radio. "Yellow stars?" Papa questioned. Then a series of static and muttering came through. "Yes, it will help with identification. How are we to pass them out?"

Yellow stars? What are they for and who are we passing them out to? I quickly went past his door and ran to the kitchen. The wall clock stated it was 5:57. Almost six; I wouldn't have time to go back to sleep. 

At my return to my bedroom, I saw the sky lightening to a baby blue. In thirty minutes, Heidi would come to wake me. I decided to go spend the time in the gardens. Our house was out in the country, a fair distance away from town. The yard spaned a few acres of land. A wonderful garden filled the left side.

The morning dew from the clung to my shoes as I ran to the feilds of flowers and fruit. It was cold outside and I had my shawl wrapped tight around my shoulders. I picked my way through the rows until I came to the swinging bench in the middle of the garden. The chains creaked as I swung back and forth.

Leaning down, I picked a flower from a nearby shrub. The scent of the die Narzisse, Daffodil, filled my nose. I could sit here all day under the soft sky, surrounded by flowers in the morning breeze.

When touches of yellow shattered the blue, I went back into the house where Nanny Heidi was dusting the cabinets.

"Essie, you missed your papa's departure! He left just moments ago after telling me he would return Sunday," Heidi said, stepping down from her stool.

"He has already left?" I asked. How could he not say goodbye?

"Yes, it was urgent. Work." Work. Of course. He was always leaving abruptly to go handle Nazi business. I would have to learn about the yellow stars from someone else.

"Heidi, do we have a paper anywhere?" I looked over at the kitchen table that usually had a newspaper laying on top.I

"Yes, it's in your papa's office."

I went on down the hall and opened the door. It had been years since I had entered this room. Where maps had been, were now huge swastika signs. A banner that had "White Power" written in colossal, red letters.

Papa's desk was littered with files and orders. On had a yellow star on the front. Out of curiosity, I picked it up. It read-

All Jews are to be given two star badges to sew on the front and back of there outer clothing to mark them as Jews in public.

Now we were marking them! For what, so people could spit and curse at them? Underneath that file was a paper that said-

The Guettos on the south side of Berlin are to be prepared to house Jews.

I stopped reading. I didn't even bother to look for the paper; my question had been answered. My feet carried my swirling mind out of the office, through the kitchen, and out to the cobblestone path that led to my tree house.

I climbed the stairs and flung open the door, just like I did everyday at least once. I went straight to my diary. My feelings needed to be let out.

The pages flipped to my last entry. I remember from yesterday that I still had room on the bottom of the page. Under my neat, inky black handwriting was something peculiar. At closer look, I discovered they were words.