Anne Frank

" At three oclock (Hello had left but was supposed to come back later), the doorbell rang. I didnt hear it, since I was out on the balcony, lazily reading in the sun. A little while later Margot appeared in the kitchen doorway looking very agitated. Father has received a call-up notice from the SS, she whispered. Mother has gone to see Mr. van Daan (Mr. van Daan is Fathers business partner and a good friend.) I was stunned. A call-up: everyone knows what that means."

" Visions of concentration camps and lonely cells raced through my head. How could we let Father go to such a fate? Of course hes not going, declared Margot as we waited for Mother in the living room. Mothers gone to Mr. van Daan to ask whether we can move to our hiding place tomorrow. "

" The van Daans are going with us. There will be seven of us altogether. Silence. We couldnt speak. The thought of Father off visiting someone in the Jewish Hospital and completely unaware of what was happening, the long wait for Mother, the heat, the suspense – all this reduced us to silence"

" Heres a description of the building… A wooden staircase leads from the downstairs hallway to the third floor. At the top of the stairs is a landing, with doors on either side. The door on the left takes you up to the spice storage area, attic and loft in the front part of the house. A typically Dutch, very steep, ankle-twisting flight of stairs also runs from the front part of the house to another door opening onto the street. "

" The door to the right of the landing leads to the Secret Annex at the back of the house. No one would ever suspect there were so many rooms behind that plain gray door. Theres just one small step in front of the door, and then youre inside. Straight ahead of you is a steep flight of stairs. "

" To the left is a narrow hallway opening onto a room that serves as the Frank familys living room and bedroom. Next door is a smaller room, the bedroom and study of the two young ladies of the family. To the right of the stairs is a windowless washroom with a sink. The door in the corner leads to the toilet and another one to Margots and my room… Now Ive introduced you to the whole of our lovely Annex! "

" Now our Secret Annex has truly become secret. Because so many houses are being searched for hidden bicycles, Mr. Kugler thought it would be better to have a bookcase built in front of the entrance to our hiding place. It swings out on its hinges and opens like a door. Mr. Voskuijl did the carpentry work. (Mr. Voskuijl has been told that the seven of us are in hiding, and hes been most helpful.)"

" Now whenever we want to go downstairs we have to duck and then jump. After the first three days we were all walking around with bumps on our foreheads from banging our heads against the low doorway. Then Peter cushioned it by nailing a towel stuffed with wood shavings to the doorframe. Lets see if it helps! "

" Today I have nothing but dismal and depressing news to report. Our many Jewish friends and acquaintances are being taken away in droves. The Gestapo is treating them very roughly and transporting them in cattle cars to Westerbork, the big camp in Drenthe to which theyre sending all the Jews. Miep told us about someone whod managed to escape from there. It must be terrible in Westerbork. "

" ... The people get almost nothing to eat, much less to drink, as water is available only one hour a day, and theres only one toilet and sink for several thousand people. Men and women sleep in the same room, and women and children often have their heads shaved. Escape is almost impossible; many people look Jewish, and theyre branded by their shorn heads. If its that bad in Holland, what must it be like in those faraway and uncivilized places where the Germans are sending them? ..."

" ...We assume that most of them are beingurdered. The English radio says theyre being gassed. Perhaps thats the quickest way to die. I feel terrible. Mieps accounts of these horrors are so heartrending… Fine specimens of humanity, those Germans, and to think Im actually one of them! No, thats not true, Hitler took away our nationality long ago. And besides, there are no greater enemies on earth than the Germans and Jews. "

" My hands still shaking, though its been two hours since we had the scare… The office staff stupidly forgot to warn us that the carpenter, or whatever hes called, was coming to fill the extinguishers… After working for about fifteen minutes, he laid his hammer and some other tools on our bookcase (or so we thought!) and banged on our door. We turned white with fear. "

" ...Had he heard something after all and did he now want to check out this mysterious looking bookcase? It seemed so, since he kept knocking, pulling, pushing and jerking on it. I was so scared I nearly fainted at the thought of this total stranger managing to discover our wonderful hiding place… "

" Mr. Dussel has told us much about the outside world weve missed for so long. He had sad news. Countless friends and acquaintances have been taken off to a dreadful fate. Night after night, green and gray military vehicles cruise the streets. They knock on every door, asking whether any Jews live there. If so, the whole family is immediately taken away. If not, they proceed to the next house. Its impossible to escape their clutches unless you go into hiding. "

" They often go around with lists, knocking only on those doors where they know theres a big haul to be made. They frequently offer a bounty, so much per head. Its like the slave hunts of the olden days… I feel wicked sleeping in a warm bed, while somewhere out there my dearest friends are dropping from exhaustion or being knocked to the ground. I get frightened myself when I think of close friends who are now at the mercy of the cruelest monsters ever to stalk the earth. "

" All college students are being asked to sign an official statement to the effect that they sympathize with the Germans and approve of the New Order. Eighty percent have decided to obey the dictates of their conscience, but the penalty will be severe. Any student refusing to sign will be sent to a German labor camp. "

" Ive reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, and I cant do anything to change events anyway. Ill just let matters take their course and concentrate on studying and hope that everything will be all right in the end. "

" Mr. Bolkestein, the Cabinet Minister, speaking on the Dutch broadcast from London, said that after the war a collection would be made of diaries and letters dealing with the war. Of course, everyone pounced on my diary. "

" Its utterly impossible for me to build my life on foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. ..."

" And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when Ill be able to realize them. "