The Upstairs Room

Johan fears that the Germans will deport him too, so he hides in Enschede. Upset and terrified without him, Dientje determines that the girls must return to Mr. Hannink’s underground cave. Annie begs not to go, and Opoe tries to convince Dientje to change her mind, but the younger woman won’t budge. The girls are miserable there, and Sini cries, insisting that she’ll never hide again. Annie worries that someone might hear the ground crying and fears what would happen to her without Sini. After 10 days, Johan retrieves them, irate with Dientje. The girls follow him back to Usselo, where Sini insists that she no longer hide. Trying to calm her, Johan asserts that the war is almost over. Ignoring him, Sini asks for false papers to pretend to be a displaced person from the city. If she had papers, she could get a job on a farm. Even though Annie is upset, she agrees, and Sini hugs her. Everything goes as planned, and Johan secures a job for Sini. When her sister leaves, Annie is distraught and spends most of her days in bed.

Sini visits, sharing that she went on a date and plans to join a drama club. Hearing footsteps, they urge Annie to go upstairs, but her legs hurt so badly she can barely move. Johan forces her out of the room. Annie cries, and Sini promises to visit again tomorrow. The Germans retreat from the Allies in the West and from Russia in the East. Rumors spread that Canadian soldiers will arrive soon, but after five weeks, they still aren’t in Usselo. At the end of March, the Germans begin seizing horses, and airplanes fly overhead, dropping bombs. The Oostervelds take Annie into the air raid shelter, and she laughs that she might die because of a bomb and not a death camp. After the bombing, Dini Hannink arrives with news that Canadian soldiers will arrive tomorrow to officially free them from German occupation. Sini plans to take the day off, but Dientje warns her not to tell her employer who she really is yet.

On April 1, Annie wakes early to get dressed. Opoe is already up, and Sini arrives early as well. When Annie looks in the mirror, she imagines herself telling the Canadian soldiers that she’s an ex-prisoner. When everyone, including Opoe, heads outside to see the soldiers, Annie can barely walk. She takes Sini’s and Dientje’s hands. She sees what the outside of the house looks like for the first time and has the urge to go back inside “before it’s too late” (185). People stare at Annie and ask Johan if he has guests. He promises to tell them more later. When the soldiers roll by on tanks, Johan attempts to ask for cigarettes and coffee in English. Sini jumps on a tank and throws her arms around a soldier, kissing him before leaping down. Annie cries.

Other farmers surround Johan, asking again about the girls. He relents and tells them the girls are Jewish and have been hiding in his house for two years. He bravely claims that he was never scared and calls Annie and Sini his girls. Afterward, many people go back to the Oostervelds’ house. Annie stands in the corner, not knowing what to do; they remind her that she doesn’t need to go upstairs anymore. People comment on her small, pale appearance and ask many questions about both her and Sini. When everyone leaves, the Oostervelds ask if the girls will write to them and visit. Annie’s legs hurt, and she worries about what everyone will think back home in Winterswijk. When everyone starts upstairs for bed, Dientje and Opoe ask the girls not to leave tomorrow. Annie and Sini sleep alone in the front room. As Annie stands by the window, she ducks when a bicycle goes by, forgetting that she’s safe.

The girls stay in Usselo for a month before returning to Winterswijk to reunite with Rachel and their father and restart their lives. In time, Rachel and Sini leave, as does Annie, who goes to the US with the lace cap Opoe gave her. As an adult, Annie takes her children back to Usselo, where they meet Johan, Dientje, and Opoe. When she shows her children the hiding place, they ask if she could get into it now. Kneeling in front of it, she begins to cry.