Danger in the Darkest Hour

by Mary Pope Osborne

  “You’re right,” said Jack. “But now let’s go find out more about that invasion.”

  Jack and Annie dashed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Gaston was at the kitchen table. Smoking his pipe, he was hunched over a small open suitcase. Inside was a radio with tubes and knobs. Gaston wore a headset and was listening carefully.

  “Plan Purple!” he shouted.

  “Plan Purple!” Suzette repeated.

  “Plan Purple? What’s that?” Jack said.

  “It means all the Resistance must act now,” she said. “They must destroy communication lines to keep the Nazis in the south from finding out about the invasion.”

  Gaston took off his headset and pointed his pipe at Suzette. “Plan Green—and now Plan Purple.”

  “What’s Plan Green?” said Jack.

  “We received word of Plan Green a few days ago,” said Suzette. “It called upon Resistance fighters to blow up bridges and train tracks to keep enemy troops from traveling here.”

  “Why would they travel here?” asked Annie.

  “This is where the Allied invasion will take place,” said Gaston. “Here in Normandy! The Allies will come by air and sea. Tomorrow they will land on beaches not far from Caen, and then fight their way across France.”

  “Oh, man. I get it now,” Jack murmured. “D-Day. Tomorrow is D-Day.”

  “Listen to me, children,” said Gaston. He pointed his pipe at them. “You must tell no one what we have just told you.”

  “We won’t. We promise,” said Annie, shaking her head.

  “And you must leave France at once,” Gaston said. “Now!”

  “Leave now?” said Jack.

  “Yes, return to England immediately,” said Gaston. “There will be terrible fighting here tomorrow. Many bombs will drop.”

  “But we have to find our friend Kathleen,” said Annie.

  “Ahh! You cannot worry about your friend now!” Gaston said. “You must worry about yourselves!”

  “It is quite possible, children, that your friend has already gone south,” Suzette said. “Perhaps she has crossed the Pyrenees mountains into Spain. Many people have escaped that way and found safety.”

  “Gaston was at the kitchen table.”

  “We have to at least try to find Kathleen before we can leave,” said Annie. “That’s our mission.”

  “Then you have only today to find her,” said Gaston. “You must leave France by nightfall.”

  “We’d better get going, then,” Annie said.

  “Wait,” said Jack. He turned to Gaston. “We have a favor to ask. Can you send a message by wireless to our contact in the SOE and let him know that we must be picked up tonight?”

  “Yes, I can do that,” said Gaston.

  “And I will prepare food for you,” said Suzette.

  “And I’ll get our stuff,” said Annie.

  Suzette and Annie left the kitchen. Gaston grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. “What should the message say?” he asked Jack.

  “The unicorn is free—nightfall June fifth,” said Jack.

  “The unicorn … is … free … nightfall … June fifth,” Gaston repeated as he wrote down the message. “I like that,” he said, nodding. “The unicorn is free. It sounds very hopeful. It sounds like a message I would like to get about my sons someday.”

  “I’m sorry they disappeared,” Jack said.

  “Yes …,” whispered Gaston. “As am I.” He shook his head. “Well!” His voice boomed. “It’s wartime! And war is terrible for everyone, is it not?”

  “Yes, it is,” said Jack.

  “Got everything!” said Annie, returning to the kitchen. She was carrying their boots and Jack’s field pack.

  “And here is a bit of food,” said Suzette. She gave Annie a small sack.

  “Thanks!” said Annie. She put the sack of food in Jack’s pack. Then she and Jack pulled on their boots.

  “It is half past eight now,” said Gaston, looking at his watch. “It will be dark by eight o’clock tonight. So you have nearly twelve hours to find your friend.”

  “Oh, we almost forgot to ask you!” said Annie. She pulled out Kathleen’s rhyme. “This is the message she sent about where to look for her.” She read aloud the third and fourth lines of the rhyme:

  Three miles east of Sir Kay’s grave,

  Cross a river to find a cave.

  “So we know we go to Caen first,” said Jack, “since that’s where Sir Kay is buried. And then we’ll head three miles east from there and cross a river.”

  “The River Orne!” said Suzette.

  “Great!” said Jack. “And then we look for a cave.”

  “Yes, but there are many caves east of the River Orne in Mondeville,” said Gaston. “Long ago, they mined limestone rock in that area, creating caverns and tunnels.”

  “I wonder how we find the right one,” Jack said.

  “I do not know,” said Gaston, frowning.

  “Here are the next lines,” said Annie. She showed Gaston the message and read aloud:

  Look for knights, and small, round cows—

  A crack in a rock beneath the boughs.

  “Knights?” growled Gaston. “What does your friend mean? Knights in armor? Knights from the Middle Ages?”

  Annie shrugged.

  “Small, round cows … ?” said Suzette. She shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “Nor to me,” said Gaston.

  “It’s okay. We’ll figure out that part later,” said Annie. “You’ve been a big help just telling us about the River Orne and the caves in Mondeville.” She put the note back in her pocket.

  “Let’s go,” said Jack. He took his field pack from Annie and pulled it on.

  “Come along, then,” said Gaston. He led them out of the farmhouse into the chilly morning. The windy air smelled of wood smoke. The sky was overcast.

  “Do you have money?” said Suzette.

  “Actually, no,” said Jack.

  “Gaston?” said Suzette.

  Gaston reached into the pocket of his trousers and brought out a handful of coins. “French francs for you,” he said, handing them to Jack.

  “Thank you!” Jack dropped the francs into his pocket.

  “Gaston, they will need bicycles, too,” said Suzette.

  “Yes, yes. Come along,” said Gaston. They all followed him to the barn. Gaston stepped inside and came out a moment later, carrying two bikes. “You can ride these. They belonged to our boys when they were younger.”

  “Just follow any road to the south,” said Suzette, “and you will come to Caen.”

  “Keep to the back roads,” said Gaston. “There are fewer motorcars on them.”

  “Which way is south?” asked Annie.

  “Wait, I will give you something to guide you.” Suzette slipped back into the house and returned a moment later. “Take this compass. It belonged to Tom and Theo.” She handed a small silver compass to Annie. Then she gave Jack and Annie each a flat black cap. “These berets belonged to them, too.”

  “Thank you,” said Annie. When they put on the berets, Jack adjusted his to look like Gaston’s.

  Suzette smiled. “Good. Now you look French.”

  “If you come to a checkpoint,” said Gaston, “act very calm when you pass the sentries. If they stop you and ask for papers, show them your identity cards. Do not give the V sign to anyone unless you are certain that person is on our side.”

  “Many of our citizens do not belong to the Resistance,” Suzette explained.

  “In these times, you never know who your friends and enemies are,” growled Gaston. “And that is why you must tell no one about the invasion tomorrow.”

  “We won’t, we promise,” said Annie.

  “But I’ll tell you guys something,” said Jack.

  “What is that?” said Gaston.

  Jack took a deep breath, and then said, “The invasion will be a success. Tom and Theo wrote the truth: France will gain back its
freedom.”

  Gaston gave him a crooked smile.

  “Jack’s right,” said Annie. “It might take time, but we know you’ll be free. We know it for a fact.”

  Sudden tears filled Gaston’s eyes. He nodded briskly, and then turned his face away.

  “Thank you for your kind words, children,” said Suzette, putting an arm around Gaston. “Ride south on the lane running past the farm. Gaston will send your message over the wireless. I hope your SOE contact receives it. And I hope you find your dear friend and take her back to England with you.”

  “Thanks,” said Jack. “Thanks for everything.”

  Jack and Annie climbed onto the bikes. They rode down the bumpy dirt path away from the farmhouse. When they came to the lane, Annie pulled out the compass. “South—that way,” she said, pointing to the right.

  Before they turned onto the lane, Jack and Annie looked back. The French couple was still watching them. Gaston held up two fingers in a V Is for Victory sign.

  Jack and Annie each flashed the sign back at him. Then they turned onto the lane and headed south.

  Jack and Annie rode with the wind at their backs. The spring air smelled of plowed soil and freshly cut hay. As their bicycles wobbled down the dirt lane, they passed apple orchards, wheat fields, vineyards, and farmhouses.

  “I can’t believe it!” Jack called to Annie. “The Allied invasion of Normandy! That was called D-Day! D-Day! Have you ever heard of it?”

  “Yes, but I don’t know exactly what it was,” said Annie.

  “I read a book about it,” said Jack. “It was one of the most important military events of all time. Over a hundred thousand soldiers landed in Normandy, France, to fight Hitler’s army. It was the beginning of the end of World War Two! I can’t believe we came here on the day before D-Day.”

  “I hope everything doesn’t get destroyed by bombs,” said Annie. “It’s beautiful here.”

  “Yeah, it is,” said Jack. The countryside looked like an old painting: peach-colored farmhouses, apple trees with white flowers, red poppies blooming in fields. Everything was so peaceful and lovely that Jack could hardly believe the battle of D-Day would start here tomorrow. It gave him a strange feeling to know what was coming.

  After bumping over ruts and ridges, Jack and Annie came to the end of the dirt lane. Annie checked the compass. “Left,” she said.

  They turned left and pedaled down the wide road bordered by hedgerows. The hedges were so tall it was impossible to see beyond them.

  “Are we on a back road?” Annie asked.

  “I can’t tell,” Jack said.

  They hadn’t gone much farther when a motorcycle turned onto the road and headed their way.

  Friend? Enemy? Jack wondered anxiously. In case it was an enemy, he called out to Annie, “Act normal!”

  “Right!” said Annie. They both smiled broadly and steered their bikes single file along the edge of the road. Jack was glad that Suzette had said wearing berets made them look French. When the motorcycle roared past, the driver didn’t even look their way.

  The motorcycle disappeared in the distance, but then another car turned onto the road. As it headed toward them, Jack tried to look normal again. Just as the car sped past, he glanced in its direction. To his amazement, a woman driver flashed a quick V Is for Victory sign.

  Jack grinned and gave the sign back. “Friend!” he called to Annie. The woman’s V signal made him feel hopeful. Maybe this isn’t going to be so hard, he thought.

  Coming toward them next was a horse and cart driven by a young man who looked like a farmer. Seated beside him was a teenage girl. When they saw Jack and Annie, they smiled and nodded.

  Definitely friends, Jack thought. When he got close to the couple, he flashed the V Is for Victory sign at them, too.

  An angry look crossed the man’s face. He cried out in alarm. He pulled his horse to a halt and pointed at Jack and Annie. “Couriers! Resistance!” he shouted.

  Oh, no! thought Jack. Gaston was right! In these times, you really didn’t know who was a friend and who was an enemy!

  Behind the horse and cart, another motorcycle was rumbling down the road. The rider wore a gray uniform. The people in the cart flagged him down.

  “GO!” Jack cried.

  He and Annie wheeled around and raced their bikes against the wind. When Jack looked back, the motorcycle was coming toward them—fast!

  “Ditch the bikes!” Annie shouted. They skidded to a stop, dropped their bikes to the ground, and bolted through an opening in a hedgerow.

  Scraped by branches and thorns, they pushed their way through the narrow gap until they burst onto farmland. As they ran through a cow pasture, Jack looked around wildly for a place to hide. “Barn!” he cried, pointing. He and Annie ran toward a red wooden building next to a silo. When they drew closer to the entrance, they saw a man in white clothes putting two large milk cans into the back of a white truck.

  “Help!” cried Annie.

  The milkman looked startled, but as the motorcycle crashed through the hedge at the edge of the property, he seemed to understand everything at once. “Quick! In the truck!” he shouted.

  Jack and Annie scrambled into the back of the truck and found a hiding place behind rows of tall milk canisters. Crouching behind the canisters, they covered their mouths so no one would hear them gasping for breath.

  The milkman slammed the back door of the truck shut. There was a panel between the front seat and the windowless back area. Jack and Annie sat in the dark and listened to the motorcycle thunder closer and then stop. Through the closed door, they could hear bits of conversation from outside:

  “Yes … two … boy and girl.” “Resistance couriers …” “Yes, you are sure.…” “Yes … good …” “Thank you for your help …”

  Moments later, Jack heard the motorcycle rev up and drive away.

  The milkman started his engine. Then, with the large canisters jiggling in their crates, the truck began bouncing over the road.

  “I guess we’re going with him,” whispered Annie.

  “I wonder if he’s a friend or enemy,” whispered Jack.

  “A friend,” said Annie. “He must have told the motorcycle guy we went in the opposite direction.”

  “Or he could be taking us to the police,” whispered Jack. “Maybe the motorcycle guy was thanking him for locking us in his truck and taking us to the Nazis.”

  “Oh, no. I hadn’t thought of that,” Annie whispered. Clutching their berets, they jiggled with the clattering milk cans as the truck continued on.

  After a while, the milk truck stopped again. It sounded like the driver was getting out.

  Jack froze. He heard the back door handle click. Then the door swung open. The milkman pulled out a large milk canister and whispered, “All clear! Hurry!”

  “Thanks!” said Annie.

  Leaving the door open, the milkman carried the canister away from the truck.

  “Go!” said Jack.

  He and Annie jumped out of the back of the truck. It was parked in front of a long building with a sign that said:

  CAEN MILK PROCESSING PLANT

  “Look! We’re in Caen!” said Annie, pointing to the sign. “Isn’t that great?”

  “Go! Go!” said Jack. He and Annie raced across a street and headed down a narrow alley.

  “Wait,” Jack said, stopping in his tracks. “We shouldn’t run. It will make us look suspicious.” They stopped for a moment and tried to catch their breath.

  “The milkman was a friend,” said Annie.

  “Definitely,” said Jack. “Okay. Let’s go. Act normal.”

  Jack and Annie stepped out from the alley and into a busy town square. In the middle of the square was an outdoor market. Women with children strolled from booth to booth, buying lettuce, peas, potatoes, flowers, linens, and lace. Surrounding the square were cobblestone streets lined with quaint buildings. There was a church covered with ivy, a small train depot, and a sidewalk café with a re
d striped awning.

  Again, Jack found it difficult to believe that a great battle was about to take place. “This is all going to change tomorrow,” he said to Annie as they strolled through the market.

  “I know,” Annie said. “I wish we could tell everyone to leave today.”

  “Yep,” said Jack. He looked at a clock tower in the square. “It’s almost ten. We have ten hours left until nightfall.”

  “Well, we’re in Caen,” said Annie. “Now we have to go three miles east to the River Orne and the caves of Mondeville.”

  “Right,” said Jack.

  “Excuse me!” Annie called to a young woman pushing a baby buggy. “Can you please tell us how to get to Mondeville?”

  “It is very easy,” said the woman. “Just a short train ride. You get off at the first stop.” She pointed to the depot next to the café.

  “Thanks,” said Annie.

  “You’re welcome,” said the woman. She waved two fingers and kept pushing the carriage across the square.

  “Friend,” Annie said to Jack.

  “How do you know?” he asked.

  “She gave me a V Is for Victory sign,” said Annie.

  “Or maybe she just happened to use two fingers to wave to you,” said Jack. “Even though the milkman was a friend, we can never be sure who our friends and enemies are. Remember the farmer and the girl in the cart?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t see that coming,” said Annie.

  “Not in a million years,” said Jack.

  “I thought—” said Annie

  The roar of engines interrupted her. Four open black cars rolled into the square and parked in a line. Each car had a red, white, and black symbol on the side. Jack recognized it as a swastika, the symbol of the Nazis. Soldiers got out of the cars and stood at the edge of the square, watching the shoppers. They wore gray uniforms with black belts and tall boots.

  “Enemies,” Jack said under his breath.

  “Definitely,” said Annie.

  With the arrival of the Nazis, the atmosphere in the square changed. Vendors fell silent. Shoppers lowered their heads and grabbed the hands of their children.

  “We should catch that train as soon as possible,” said Jack.