CHAPTER FOUR

Thursday, 9 July 1942

The hiding-place is in Father’s office building. On the bottom floor is the warehouse, and next to it an entrance to the office, which is upstairs. There are two offices – a front one which is big and light, and a small dark one at the back. Not many people work in Father’s offices, just Mr Kugler, Mr Kleiman, Miep and a twenty-three-year-old typist called Bep Voskuijl. Mr Voskuijl, Bep’s father, works in the warehouse with two helpers, who don’t know anything about us. From Mr Kugler’s office at the back, you go up another four stairs and you come to the private office, which is very fine and has good furniture.

Up on the third floor is our ‘Secret Annexe’. There are some attics for storage on the left, and on the right is the door to our hiding-place. It’s surprising that there are so many rooms behind that small grey door. Margot and I share a small room, and Mother and Father’s bedroom is also our sitting-room. Up the stairs again is a big light room which will be the kitchen and Mr and Mrs van Daan’s bedroom. There is a very small room for Peter, their son, and another attic. So that’s our lovely Annexe!

Friday, 10 July 1942

Let me continue the story. When we arrived at the warehouse, the Annexe was full of all the boxes that we had stored at the office for the last few months. No one could possibly sleep there unless we cleared it up. But Mother and Margot were really suffering, and they were too tired and unhappy to help. They just lay down on their beds, so Father and I did it all. We worked all day, until we were so tired that we fell into bed too. There was no hot meal, but we didn’t care. We worked all the next day too, which was Tuesday. Bep and Miep took our ration books to buy food.

It was only on Wednesday that I had time to think about the enormous change in my life. Now I’ve got a moment to tell you all about it, to realize what has happened, and what is still to happen.