“You can come out! It’s safe!” she called as she parked her bicycle in the barn. “The Netherlands is free!”

“You’re sure?” a voice called.

“Very sure! Quick! Run up to the windmill and tell the others.” Lena’s daughters hovered close to her as shadows emerged from every corner of the barn. Maaike and Bep would have no idea who these men were. Lena laughed at the girls’ astonished expressions and motioned for them to follow her to the kitchen, then into the front room. She bent down and rapped on the lower panel of the piano. “It’s safe to come out! The Netherlands is free! We’re free!” The girls watched, amazed, as the panel opened and Max and Ina emerged. Lena flung the front door wide for them and said, “Look! It’s a glorious day! You can go outside at last!” They moved as if in a dream as they joined the other shadow people outside in the barnyard. Like the villagers, they gazed around in wonder, laughing and rejoicing. Ina dropped to her knees, her face hidden in her hands as she wept. Across the yard, several men stood on the windmill’s upper deck, cheering and lifting their faces to the sun. Lena waved to them from her front door. Maaike stood beside her.

“Who are all these people, Mama? What are they doing here?”

“They were hiding from the Nazis. Your papa said they could stay here with us, where it’s safe. But they don’t need to hide anymore.” She looked around for Bep and saw her crouching down to peek beneath the piano.

“Look, Maaike!” Bep said. “There’s a little room inside the piano, with blankets and a bookshelf and everything. Come and see!”