Danger in the Darkest Hour

by Mary Pope Osborne

  “I’ll go first,” said Annie. She squeezed through the shoulder-wide crack in the rock, and Jack followed her. They stepped into a tunnel, lit only by the shaft of light from the crack.

  Jack switched on their flashlight and shined it on the cream-colored stone walls. “This must be one of the limestone tunnels that Suzette and Gaston talked about,” he said.

  “Listen,” said Annie.

  Voices were singing deep inside the tunnel—high, sweet voices:

  Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

  How I wonder what you are.

  “What’s going on?” Jack whispered.

  “Let’s find out,” said Annie.

  Jack turned off the flashlight. The sound of the singing guided them as they tiptoed through the downward-sloping tunnel and into a giant cavern. Across the cavern, candles flickered in a corner. The candlelight shone on a group of small children sitting with a teenage girl. Most of the children were no more than three or four years old. They sat on a pile of blankets, facing the girl as she sang with them:

  Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

  How I wonder what you are.

  Up above the world so high,

  Like a diamond in the sky.

  The children’s bell-like voices were beautiful, Jack thought.

  When the blazing sun is gone,

  When it nothing shines upon,

  Then you show your little light,

  Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

  Jack and Annie waited until the children had finished their song. Then Annie called, “Kathleen!”

  All the children turned to look. Kathleen let out a cry and hurried across the cavern into Annie’s arms. Then she grabbed Jack and hugged him tightly, too.

  The enchantress wiped tears from her sea-blue eyes. Her long curly hair was tangled and dirty. She looked tired and thin. “I am so glad to see you! But what—what are you doing here?” she said. “Where is Teddy?”

  “Teddy sent us instead,” Jack said, “because he thought we could decode your message.”

  “Plus he had to save downed airmen in Holland and Belgium,” said Annie. “What happened to you? Who are these little kids?”

  By now, the children were tugging on Jack’s and Annie’s overalls, chattering: “Hello!” “Who are you?” “What’s your name?” They wore ragged clothes and no shoes, but their small, pale faces were open and trusting.

  “Are you taking care of all these kids?” Annie asked Kathleen.

  “Yes. I have two wonderful helpers, Sarah and her sister, Sophie,” said Kathleen. She pointed to the tallest children in the group. The sisters looked to be about six and seven years old. Their dark eyes shining, they smiled shyly at Jack and Annie.

  “These are my friends Jack and Annie,” Kathleen said to the children. “They have come a very long way to help us. Jack and Annie, meet Solly, Etty, Daniel, Eli …” Kathleen pointed to each tiny child as she said the names. “Pierre, Leo, Marcella and Ella …”

  Talking over her, the children asked questions all at once: “Who are you?” “Can you stay with us?” “Where do you live?”

  “Children, children,” Kathleen said in a calm voice. “Hush, please! Go back to your blankets now with Sophie and Sarah, and rest. You can play with Jack and Annie after you wake.”

  The children did as Kathleen asked. Still chattering, though more softly, they followed the older girls back to their blankets. Sophie and Sarah seemed very grown-up as they tried to settle the younger children down.

  “Have you all been living in this cave a long time?” asked Annie.

  “This is our hideout during the day,” said Kathleen. “After dark, I sneak them into the empty château, and we hide in the attic there. The plumbing still works, and there is fresh well water. I found a supply of candles, thank goodness. Sophie and Sarah are very capable. They watch the others at night while I look for food. I visit gardens and gather old bread from behind the bakery. Before daylight, I lead the children back here. We sing and play games and nap and talk. I don’t think they realize that we are in hiding.”

  “Why do you have to hide them?” asked Jack.

  “To keep them safe from the Nazis,” said Kathleen. “My assignment with the SOE was to find Sophie and Sarah in a Normandy orphanage and sneak them into England. Their parents had escaped prison and already made their own way to London.”

  “Why were their mom and dad in prison?” Annie asked.

  “Their parents are brilliant scientists. They were both arrested in Paris by the Nazis because they are Jewish,” said Kathleen.

  “That’s crazy,” said Annie.

  “Yeah,” said Jack.

  “Yes, it is,” said Kathleen. “When I arrived in Normandy, I found that the orphanage had been abandoned, but there were still children there. Sophie and Sarah were taking care of them as best they could. Because all the children were Jewish, I needed to hide them.”

  “Oh, man,” said Jack. He couldn’t understand why the Nazis hated Jewish people so much. He’d read about it and seen movies about it, but he’d never understood it.

  “There are too many for me to get them all to safety,” said Kathleen. “That is why I sent word to Teddy that I needed magic. I wanted something to make us invisible or something to help us fly. If only I could turn them into little birds, I thought, they could fly across the channel and then become themselves again.”

  “Right,” said Annie, smiling, “like when you once turned us into seals off the coast of Ireland?”

  “Exactly like that,” said Kathleen.

  “Well, why do you need magic from Teddy?” asked Jack. “What happened to your own magic powers?”

  “I do not know.” Kathleen shook her head. “I—I seem to have lost part of myself here. I fear that sadness and worry have drained me of my ability to perform magic … Perhaps being terrified for the children …” She shook her head again. “But you have brought help, yes? The wand?”

  Jack took a deep breath. “Actually, no, we didn’t,” he answered. “No magic. Only ourselves.”

  Kathleen looked confused. “But in my message—”

  “I know,” said Annie. “Teddy meant to give us the Wand of Dianthus, but he forgot. He was flying the plane and helping us learn how to parachute and somehow he forgot, and we forgot, too.”

  “I remembered just as we were about to jump out of the plane,” said Jack. “But then it was too late.”

  “He forgot? I cannot believe it. How could he?” Kathleen’s voice trembled. “Oh, that is terrible … Only magic can help these children escape harm. We cannot leave France now. We are trapped.”

  “You have to leave,” said Jack. “We all have to leave France by nightfall. A giant military invasion is starting tomorrow. It’s called the D-Day invasion. We heard that bombs will be dropped over this whole area.”

  Kathleen shook her head. “No … I—I don’t know how we can leave … No, it is not possible,” she stammered.

  Jack couldn’t believe how much Kathleen had changed, from a joyful, confident person to someone much more worried and fragile. He found his own confidence starting to fail. “I don’t know what to do,” he said, looking at Annie.

  “Well,” said Annie, “I know what to do. We’re going to get all these kids and ourselves out of France by nightfall. We have skills.”

  “What skills?” said Jack.

  “Um … skills, you know, you said so yourself. Remember in the ditch?” said Annie.

  Jack couldn’t think of a single skill that would help their situation.

  “Don’t worry,” Annie said. “We have courage. We have hope. And we have each other. So let’s make a plan.”

  Jack just stared at her.

  Annie went on. “First of all,” she said, “with all these kids, we won’t be able to fit into Teddy’s little plane.” She turned to Kathleen. “We already sent a message to Teddy telling him to pick us up at nightfall at the same spot where he dropped us off. So now we just need to sen
d a message telling him to bring a bigger plane.”

  “Sylvie at the bistro can do that,” said Jack. Annie’s confidence was lifting his spirits.

  “Good idea,” said Annie. “Next we have to figure out how to get from here back to the drop zone.”

  “That’s the hard part,” said Jack. “We need … a truck or something … like the milk truck that took us to Caen …”

  “Right,” said Annie. “So the kids can hide in the back.”

  Kathleen’s face lit up. “Oh! Every night I go to the bakery up the street after it closes,” she said. “There is always a delivery truck parked in the driveway. It is never locked. I know this because I gather scraps of stale bread from the back.”

  “Okay,” said Jack. “But there’s only one problem: if we borrow that truck, who’s going to drive it?”

  “You, silly!” said Annie.

  “Me?” said Jack.

  “Yes, you!” Annie turned to Kathleen. “Jack’s not old enough to have a license, but he learned how to drive an old truck on our great-grandfather’s farm. He’s only allowed to drive around the pastures, but he’s a good driver! That’s one of his skills!”

  “No!” said Jack.

  “Yes!” said Annie. “So all we have to do is gather the kids, use the truck to get them to the drop zone, wait for Teddy to show up with a bigger plane, get everybody on board, and we’re all out of here by nightfall.”

  “Fantastic!” said Kathleen. “We have a plan!”

  Kathleen’s sea-blue eyes were sparkling. “I will go tell Sophie and Sarah to get the children ready!” She hurried across the cavern.

  Jack whirled around to Annie. “No, no, no!” he whispered. “This is not a good plan.”

  “It is! You drove Great-Granddad’s truck perfectly just a few weeks ago!” said Annie. “I was there! I wanted to drive it, too, but I couldn’t reach the pedals.”

  “But that—” said Jack.

  “You didn’t even need a key with that old truck,” said Annie. “Remember? You just turned the starter switch. You learned how to use the clutch and the gearshift. You drove us around the field for hours—around and around and around. You always say you can’t wait to drive that truck again!”

  “But this is so different!” said Jack.

  “It’s not that different,” Annie said.

  “Are you crazy? It’s totally different!” said Jack. “Stealing a truck, loading it with tiny kids, and driving through a foreign country to try to escape Nazis in World War Two is totally different from driving in a circle in our great-grandfather’s pasture.”

  “Okay. It’s different,” said Annie.

  “Thank you!” said Jack.

  “It’s different because there are lives at stake here,” said Annie. “And that’s why you have to do it.”

  Before Jack could say anything, Kathleen came rushing back. She was holding a candle and a folded map. “What was the location of your drop zone?” she asked.

  “It’s a field in Biéville, next to a church,” said Annie. “Six miles northwest of Caen.”

  “Good,” said Kathleen. “I have the Normandy map the SOE gave me. It will help us. Let’s go get the truck.” By the light of her candle, she led the way out of the cavern and through the limestone tunnel.

  Jack’s heart was racing. Annie was right. Lives were at stake. But he was already sweating, and they hadn’t even started the plan yet! How would he feel when he was trying to sneak a truckload of Jewish orphans past Nazi soldiers?

  Jack and Annie followed Kathleen through the tunnel to the crack in the rock. Then they walked into the gray light of late afternoon. The wind blew softly over the grounds of the château as they headed down the driveway.

  “Let’s refine our plan,” said Kathleen. She sounded more like her old self. “Sophie and Sarah will get the children ready. Annie will go to Sylvie at the bistro and ask her to send a new message to Teddy. Jack and I will pick up the bakery truck. Then we will all meet back here, load up the children, and head for the drop zone.”

  “Got it,” said Annie.

  Jack nodded. He was relieved that Kathleen seemed so much stronger. He hoped it meant her magic skills would soon return. Right now he thought they really needed a little magic.

  When they came to the road, Kathleen turned to Annie. “You should go ahead of us to Sylvie,” she said, “so we will not look as if we are traveling in a group. The Nazis do not like groups.”

  “Okay, meet you guys back here,” said Annie. “Good luck!” She started walking up the Road of Rocks toward Sylvie’s Bistro.

  Jack took a deep breath as he and Kathleen stood together waiting for Annie to get a good distance away. He always felt shy when he was alone with the beautiful enchantress.

  “Jack, these have been the two worst weeks of my life,” Kathleen said, breaking the silence. “I knew it was possible I could be responsible for the loss of ten children. I felt helpless and sad and angry all at once. I have never felt that way before.”

  “You’re not helpless, Kathleen,” said Jack. “You’re strong and—and you’re good. That’s why you were sad and angry.”

  “Thank you, Jack,” she said. “I am very, very relieved you and Annie came to help.”

  “We haven’t really done anything yet,” Jack said.

  “But you will,” she said. “I admire you very much.” She looked up the Road of Rocks. “Annie is far enough ahead, I think. We can go now.”

  Jack straightened his shoulders as he and Kathleen walked together up the road. He was ready to drive the truck. In fact, he was ready to do anything to be worthy of Kathleen’s admiration.

  The bakery was closed when they got there. No one was on the sidewalk.

  “The delivery truck should be in back,” said Kathleen. “Come with me.” She and Jack slipped behind the building.

  An old-fashioned cream-colored truck was parked behind the bakery. The cab of the truck looked just like the cab of Jack’s great-grandfather’s truck. The back was different, though. His great-grandfather’s truck was a pickup, but the back of this truck was box-shaped like a van. The words LA BAGUETTE were painted on the side.

  Jack looked at the bakery truck. He took a deep breath. “Okay, this should work,” he said, trying to sound calm. “Let’s see how she looks inside.” He pulled on the handle of the cab, and the door swung open.

  Jack stuck his head inside and saw that the truck had a keyless starter switch, just like his great-grandfather’s truck. He turned back to Kathleen. “We’re in business,” he said.

  “Wonderful!” Kathleen said. “Do you have a piece of paper so I can leave a note for the baker?”

  Jack reached into his pack and gave Kathleen his notebook and a pencil. She wrote on a blank page:

  Thank you for letting us borrow your truck. It is waiting for you near the church in Biéville.

  She tore the paper out of Jack’s notebook, folded it, and slid it under the back door of the bakery. Then they both climbed into the front seat. “Good to go?” Jack asked.

  “Yes!” she said, smiling. “Good to go.”

  Jack looked at the floor and found the clutch pedal on the left, the brake in the middle, and the gas pedal on the right, just like in his great-grandfather’s truck. He put his hand on the gearshift next to his seat. Everything felt familiar. “Okey-dokey,” he said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Jack pressed the brake with his right foot and then pushed the clutch pedal down with his left. He moved the gearshift into neutral. Then he turned the starter switch, and the engine rumbled to life.

  Jack shifted into first gear. He moved his right foot off the brake and pressed the gas pedal. The truck engine roared. Jack took his foot off the clutch. The truck jerked forward and the engine stopped dead.

  “No problem, no problem,” said Jack. “It’ll just take me a minute to get the hang of it again.”

  Jack repeated everything he had done: brake, clutch, gearshift into neutral, star
ter, gearshift into first. This time, he operated the clutch and gas pedals perfectly, and the bakery truck moved smoothly onto the Road of Rocks.

  “Brilliant!” said Kathleen. “We are on our way!”

  As Jack headed up the street, he kept all his attention on his driving, not daring to think of their plan. Instead, he imagined he was just driving around his great-grandfather’s pasture.

  When the truck came to the old château, Annie was heading into the driveway. Seeing Jack behind the wheel, she raised her arms skyward and jumped up and down as if he’d just crossed a finish line.

  Jack and Kathleen laughed as Annie ran alongside the truck, waving her arms. Jack brought the bakery truck to a stop near the hillside. Then he and Kathleen climbed out.

  “You did it! You did it!” Annie said to Jack.

  He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

  “Wait here. I will get the children,” said Kathleen. “Sophie and Sarah should have them ready by now.” She dashed to the rocks.

  “Was it hard to drive?” Annie asked Jack.

  “Not once I got it going,” he said. “It all kind of came back to me. Did you give the message to Sylvie?”

  “Yes! I snuck around the back of the bistro and tapped on the window again,” said Annie. “I asked her to send another message, one that said, ‘Unicorn has ten colts. Need bigger bird.’ ”

  “Good work,” said Jack.

  “Here they come,” said Annie.

  Kathleen, Sophie, and Sarah led the small children out of the tunnel. Excited to go for a ride, the little kids raced across the grass to the bakery truck. Jack got out and swung open the rear door. Then he, Annie, and Kathleen lifted each child into the back.

  “Is everyone here?” called Kathleen. She called out all their names to make sure: “Ella? Eli? Leo? Daniel? …”

  “Seeing Jack behind the wheel, she raised her arms skyward and jumped up and down as if he’d just crossed a finish line.”

  As each high voice rang out “Yes!” Jack climbed into the driver’s seat. Soon Kathleen and Annie joined him. Jack could hear the children chattering behind the partition that separated the cab from the back.