Now that the Allies had landed in France, the sound of airplanes thundering overhead went on day and night, along with what Miriam guessed was artillery and machine-gun fire. One night just before bedtime, the explosions were so loud it sounded as if the sky was about to come down on their heads. Flashes lit up the night, accompanying the blasts. When bits of plaster sifted down from the ceiling and the electricity went out, Miss Hannie decided that the best way to keep everyone calm was to light candles, wind up the gramophone, and postpone bedtime for a while, as if they were merely waiting for a thunderstorm to blow over instead of for a battle to end. Rietje clung to Miriam like a frightened child as they sat together on the sofa. Cornelia rocked in place and moaned, a sign that she might be about to have one of her episodes. Frits gave a great shout with each explosion, adding to the noise and agitating the other two boys. His mother’s attempts to calm him failed. Only Miep seemed unfazed as she dozed in her chair.

When the worst of the commotion finally tapered off, Miss Willy picked up one of the candlesticks and lit the way upstairs to bed. She was halfway up when there was a loud pounding on the front door.

“We need to hide!” Klara gasped. She and Tina raced upstairs to the attic hatch on the second floor, with Miriam right behind them to help. The pounding continued, but Miss Hannie waited to answer it, giving them more time to put the ladder in place and climb up, difficult to do in the dim candlelight. Miriam signaled that it was safe once the women had pulled up the ladder and closed the hatch. Only Miep and Cornelia could be convinced to go into their darkened bedroom. The other residents refused to listen to Miss Willy and lined up along the upstairs banister, peering down to see what was happening. Frits’s shouts added to the commotion.

The moment Miss Hannie opened the door, several men in Nazi uniforms pushed inside, shouting in German. Was this one of their dreaded razzias? Miriam quickly ducked into her bedroom, wishing she’d gone into the attic with the other women. Miss Hannie didn’t understand German, which made the angry men shout all the louder. The chaos upset Rietje and she hopped up and down crying, “Tina, hide! Klara, hide!”