Soon we are back on the road and all seems well.

Madame Marie will get a package of good country food: meat, sausages, and pate.

Mama has her new knitting needles and fresh bread from town.

I carry the stolen rutabagas but also a wonderful secret ...

the most powerful of all good omens.

Madame Marie has appeared in the sky.

We are safe.

Accused.

When the fruit trees blossom pink, it's time to build a village shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Pere Rene, the old man who drowned the kittens, divides his barn in two.

He puts his cows on one side.

On the other side, a statue of Mary moves in.

She wears her light blue robe and her golden crown.

All during the month of May, people visit her and bring flowers.

One May morning, I walk to school with other children.

A meadow shines with silver.

We've heard pilots sometimes drop tinsel over fields at night.

Are these shell casings?

No one seems to know for sure.

Could the shiny paper have chocolates inside?

We have to go see!

No, there's no chocolate, but the silver paper is so pretty.

We toss handfuls of it into the air and watch them shimmer down.

One boy collects a huge pile of silver papers.

He sits down under a tree to count them.

The rest of us just grab as many as we can.

Someone says, "Let's decorate the Holy Virgin's shrine!"

We run back to the village with our treasure.

Patient as ever, Mary lets us decorate her with tinsel.

It shines on the white tablecloth in front of her, and on the bouquets of rosebuds in their milk cans and jars.

The cows are out for the day, but their smell lingers with that of the roses.

A sheepdog comes in to see what's happening.

"Old Pere Rene's dog!" someone whispers.

"Let's get out of here."

But before we can escape, the wrinkled old man blocks the barn door.

He shakes his six-fingered hand at us.

"Not in school?

Not in the fields?

The day's still young and there's plenty of work to do.

But do you help your parents?

No, you make a mess of the Virgin's shrine."

"We're decorating it for her," says the oldest, bravest girl.

"Look at the silver.

Ours will be the prettiest shrine in any village."

Pere Rene shakes his head.

"Anything to get out of all the work God planned for us from the day Adam left the Garden of Eden. Bah!"

At the village center, I meet my friend Simone.

She's playing hopscotch.

But when she sees me coming, she drops her marker and walks away.

Why, I wonder?

I follow her.

At first she won't speak to me, but then she says, "I can't play with you anymore.

People say you and your mother are really Jewish.

Are you hiding from the Germans?"

Silence.

"You are, aren't you?"

My mouth drops open, but no words come out.

Who thinks we're Jewish?

How did they figure it out?

But I don't have time to think about this.

Not now.

I swallow hard and reply.

"Jewish?

How could I be Jewish?

Lots of Christians have left Paris since the war began.

We had no eggs, no meat, no milk, no butter!

We had to hide in bomb shelters at night.

It was awful.

We came here because it's quiet and peaceful, and there's lots of good food."

"I knew those people were lying," says Simone.

"You're too nice to be Jewish."

She smiles at me.

"Come on," she says as she pulls my hand.

"Want to go see my new baby brother?

He's the ugliest one yet!"

I feel faint with relief.

For a moment, I can barely see ...

everything looks blurry, as if we're under water.

I grab Simone's hand and let her pull me along, blinking until my sight clears.

Who are the people who suspect us? I wonder.

Should I run and tell Mama right now?

No, I'll act normal, I decide.

I'll wait until tonight to tell Mama everything.

Attacked.

Like all the houses in our village, Simone's house has two rooms.

One has a fireplace and a big table, and the other a huge carved bed.

Simone's thin mother rests in the bed with her sleeping baby.

"Look how blessed I am with all these fine children, Odette!

Simone can keep house and milk cows as well as I can.

I don't know what I'd do without her!

In fact, I need her today.

Can you take the cows to the pasture this afternoon?"

"Of course," I say, proud to be asked.

Simone packs ham and rye bread for me for lunch.