Notes to Escape the Nazi's

Chapter 1

I slipped out of bed and quickly dressed. Today, a lilac dress of cotton adorned my body.

The kitchen was full of wonderful smells. Bacon, eggs, and biscuits were scattered across the counter. Heidi sat at the table, eating her portions of the breakfast.

My father must have already taken his plate and went to his office. I had been in his office only once. It was covered in maps and papers littered the whole space.

I took a shiny, white plate from the cuboard and stacked a few pancakes onto it. Placing my plate on the round table, I sat next to Heidi. Her nose was tucked up in a book as usual. Nanny Heidi was always reading.

The cover was a soft yellow, with a pattern of daisies. The title was Little Women. It had been transelated into German. Heidi had read this novel countless times, and she continued to read it. It was her favorite. She had attempted to make me read it, but it was very boring.

After my plate was empty, except for a few drops of syrup, I took it to the sink for Nanny Heidi to wash later. I preceeded out the door and hopped down the path leading to my tree house. 

My shoes clicked against the stones, so I started skipping to make a cute little tune. Drag click drag click drag click click.

Then, I heard a faint Knock tap knock knock tap tap tap tap.

My ears were straining to hear more, but things had fallen silent. I sprinted back to the house. I was thirteen, but things like this still scared me. The door swung forward as I entered. Heidi was washing the dishes, soap bubbles clung to her hands.

"What are you doing inside? The weather is beautiful today," she asked, not looking up.

I was reluctant to tell her, afraid she would laugh. "I heard something out in the woods."

"Oh, Essie." Heidi dropped the bowl back into the sink. "You used to do this when you were younger. Don't be afraid of the animals."

When I was seven, I had read a story about a girl in a red cloak who had journeyed through the woods and met a wolf. I couldn't remeber the name, but I know it had scared me. I stayed away from the woods for weeks after that book.

"Go on back outside! Come on, go and play," Heidi called, making sweeping motions toward the door I had just came through.

When I didn't move, she came and pushed me out onto the neatly mowed lawn.

I did not mind. Nanny Heidi was like my mom. She had cared for me since I was four, when my birth mother passed away. The only memories I had of my real mother were the few pictures of her placed around the house.

I started down the stone path, this time careful not to click my shoes. The forest stayed silent. Well, not completely silent; there was the ocassional rustle of leaves and animal call, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Just yards in front of me loomed my massive, wooden tree house. It sat in the crook of a old Ebony tree.

My feet flew expertly up the latter. I crawled through the small opening that I was far to big for now. Maybe I was too old to have a tree house, but this was the only place where I could be alone. I had very few friends and spent my days drawing or reading, and occasionally writing in my diary.

I kept my thoughts in a notebook bound with red and white fabric. My feelings were poured out onto those pages. Nobody could ever see it. Ever.

Creases formed on my dress as I slumped into the short, wooden chair that sat in the corner. Stacked next to me were mounds of books and wads of old paper. Placed on top of my thread bare rug lay my diary.

I opened up the worn pages and flipped to my last few entries. Lately, I have been writing about the war here. People were arresting Jews. The thought sent a chill down my spine. I picked up my pen and labeled the page. May 12, 1934. My writing was tiny; only I could read it. Well, Heidi and I.

I told the story of my father coming home. It took about an hour. I made sure to write down every detail. My diary always listened.

When I was finished, I lay it on top of my stack of books after picking the top one up. I opened its pages and submerged myself into the story.

It was a tale about a castle far away. There lived a princess, a queen, and a king. A man came to visit the castle and he tricked the king into giving him his daughters hand. The evil man took over, the princess became a captured queen.

A lound thump issued from the book when I threw it at the floor. All these sad stories were terribly depressing. Nanny Heidi had combed the books store for happy books, but so far all of them turned sour. 

My feet paced across the carpet, but came to a halt near the window. The sun was high in the sky and it would soon be time to eat. Below the lumbering trees was a raspberry bush that was always covered in the most delcious red berries. Today, it was empty. The only raspberries in sight were a few that rabbits had knocked on the ground.

Ding ding. I turned sharply, for the noise had made me jump. After my heart beat no longer felt like a humming birds, I realized it was the lunch bell.

Nanny Heidi was visable through the kitchen window. In front of her sat and apple pie, cooling of in the breeze. My mouth already watered. When I came into the kitchen I could she three bowls placed on the table. Soup. Again.

Father had been payed less last month. He said that he would soon be getting twice as much as he was before, but I was tired bland food and used novels. For now, I would just have to deal.

Heidi shoveled the brown liquid into the bowls.

"Sorry, Miss Heidi," Father rushed into the room, still combing his hair, "but I have to leave for an important meeting." He took a piece of bread and hurried out to his car. I sat down and sighed. He was always so busy and I never see him. He is constantly gone out of town, or at meetings, or somewhere else.

Heidi took the seat across from me. "I know you miss him, but he has to work. It is what takes care of you. He really does love you."

"I know that; I just wish I could be with him more."

That conversaion wasn't new. It was over used. Of course I knew he loved me, I just wanted to talk to him more. When all that was left of my lunch were a few onions I went back to my room with a slice of pie. I had some summer time school work to start on.