When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary

A brief, second-person introduction to Part 2 details sounds around the narrator in the dark woods. Noises behind make the narrator run.

The queen flees to England, and within days, the Dutch army surrenders. Anne tries to talk to Oma about the German presence, but Oma keeps her thoughts from Anne; the evil in their world now is too frightening. Instead, she tells Anne, “The future is a mystery” (46).

Edith watches Anne and Margot read on the flat roof in the spring sunshine and frets about ways to keep them safe. She regrets not sending them to stay with relatives. Edith claims nothing is wrong, but Anne sees more than one black moth now and knows that her parents are afraid.

German soldiers appear in the streets, and rumors suggest they will soon arrest Dutch Jewish teachers, writers, and wealthy people. The family tries to conduct a normal routine; school reopens, and Anne has get-togethers with friends Sanne and Hanneli. But in the evening, the Franks place black screens in the windows and listen to the radio, amazed that no country has come to save the Netherlands. To boost her spirits, Margot decides to make a to-do list to prepare herself for the next day and tells Anne to do the same.