What's that siren noise? It's so loud. As I got up to see where it was coming from, I recognized footsteps bolting down the hall amidst my mother's screaming voice. Mom was never this fast.

"What's going on?" I felt a sharp pain in my arms as I was dragged off my feet, my feet still scraping on the hardwood floor as my mom burst through the door.

"What's going on, Mom?"

Mom looked down at me, her face terrifying, and said, "Germans."

My heart dropped to my stomach. Daddy assured us he would keep us safe when he left. It can't be—another sharp pain in my arm. "Ow!"

"Hurry up, if we don't make it on time," Mom gulped as she accelerated her pace, almost leaving me behind. Finally able to get on my feet, I started running with her. Then, I heard it.

whhooooooooooOOOOoooooooooo

It's loud, very loud. Even covering my ears, I can still hear it, why is it so loud? What could be happening? Germans? Is this really happening? The sound seemed to penetrate every corner of the house, vibrating through the walls and echoing the loud noise everywhere.

“Mom, what's going on?”

“We’re leaving, we have to leave the house.”

“But this is our house, why are we leaving? Is daddy going to come get us?”

“He's still at work, baby, he’ll come home soon.”

The sirens wail grew louder as we exited the house, and Mom dragged me to the car. I don't want to leave, this is our house, daddy will be worried if we’re not here when he comes back.

She opened the front seat and put me in it. “You get to ride in the front seat today, sweetheart. Isn't this exciting?”

Mom's hands trembled slightly as she fumbled with the keys, her face was red, and tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

Mom took a deep breath and looked at me. “Christine,” Mom said, “I want you to do something for me. I want you to look at the house, look at the yard, remember daddy and everything we’ve all done together, ok?”

“Why? We’re just going on vacation, right? When dad gets off work, he’ll meet us there?”

“Can you just do that for me? We’re going on a very long vacation, sweetie. ”

I nodded and looked at the small brick house. Gray bricks held up the walls and roof. I remember climbing up them and daddy having to catch me when I cut my hand on one and fell. The flowers mom grows in the front of the house are beautiful; they’re red, yellow, orange, and some purple. Mom spends a lot of time tending to them in the mornings. I wonder if they'll be ok when we're gone. The longer I looked, the more sadness washed over me. Mom is rushing us out, and we’re gonna be gone a long time. Will we ever come back?

As we drove off, I watched the flowers sway gently in the breeze. I remembered how Daddy used to help Mom tend to them on lazy Sunday afternoons, their laughter harmonizing with the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds.

The car ride was silent except for the occasional sniffle from Mom. I kept looking back, hoping to catch one last glimpse of our home. But it was gone, swallowed up by the trees and the curve of the road.

"Mom, where are we going?" I asked, my voice trembling.

“Vacation sweetie, a very long one to your grandparents house. Take a nap baby, it will take awhile to get there”

“Ok” I said looking out the window one last time before closing my eyes. “I'll see you soon, daddy, I miss you”