Suddenly she heard the murderous roar of enemy aircraft approaching, coming in low and fast overhead. Her instinct was to press the accelerator to the floor and race home. But no, she needed to slam on the brakes and yell to the children to jump from the truck into the ditch. Before she could do either, the planes thundered by overhead and were gone, leaving Lena shaking and furious and struggling not to weep. Wim and Maaike were looking at her, their eyes wide. Maaike had her hands over her ears.

Lena exhaled, her heart still pounding. She squeezed Maaike’s knee. “It’s all right. We’re all right.” For their sakes, she couldn’t surrender to fear.

Her knees were still trembling as she parked in her barnyard. The Zylstras’ truck halted behind hers. “Your farm is very beautiful,” Tina said as she looked around. “I don’t know what will be left of ours.”

Lena’s fear slowly settled into place along with the settling dust. They unloaded the farm wagon, and Wim set the Zylstras’ chickens loose in the fenced yard with Lena’s hens. But as Lena worked, a deep, bottomless rage began building inside her, a hatred greater than any she’d ever known. No one was safe from the Nazis. They threatened everyone and everything she loved. She could disguise her fear, but her hatred seemed uncontrollable, growing stronger with each passing hour. And there seemed no end to it.

At last, everything was unloaded. Lena was surprised by how few household goods the Zylstras had brought with them. “There wasn’t time,” Oma Zylstra said when Lena mentioned it. “We decided food was more important than possessions.” Oma wasn’t able to do much heavy lifting, so Lena encouraged her to sit in the rocking chair and comfort Tina’s smallest son, upset by the upheaval. He sat on his grandmother’s lap, clutching a stuffed bear and sucking his thumb.

“The boys and I carried everything we could up to the attic,” Tina said. “They told us the floodwaters might reach as high as the second floor . . .” Lena pulled Tina into her arms as she dissolved into tears. So much responsibility on this young woman’s shoulders.

“We’ll get through this together,” Lena said.

Oma Zylstra helped Lena fix lunch while Tina unpacked their clothing and bedding. Maaike would sleep in Lena’s bed with her, Wim would share his bedroom loft with the three boys, and Tina and her mother would sleep in Maaike’s room. They talked about the days ahead as they ate, and how they were all praying for victory over these invaders.

“I don’t know how long we’ll have to live here,” Tina said. “Even if the war ends quickly, we won’t be able to return home until the floodwaters go down. Who knows how long it will be before we can plant crops again.”