friday, july 10, 1942

dearest kitty, i've probably bored you with my long description of our house, but i still think you should know where i've ended up; how i ended up here is something you'll figure out from my next letters.

but first, let me continue my story, because, as you know, i wasn't finished. after we arrived at 263 prinsengracht, miep quickly led us through the long hallway and up the wooden staircase to the next floor and into the annex. she shut the door behind us, leaving us alone. margot had arrived much earlier on her bike and was waiting for us.

our living room and all the other rooms were so full of stuff that i can't find the words to describe it. all the cardboard boxes that had been sent to the office in the last few months were piled on the floors and beds. the small room was filled from floor to cethng with linens. if we wanted to sleep in properly made beds that night, we had to get going and straighten up the mess. mother and margot were unable to move a muscle. they lay down on their bare mattresses, tired, miserable and i don't know what else. but father and i, the two cleaner-uppers in the family, started in right away.

all day long we unpacked boxes, filled cupboards, hammered nails and straightened up the mess, until we fell exhausted into our clean beds at night. we hadn't eaten a hot meal all day, but we didn't care; mother and margot were too tired and keyed up to eat, and father and i were too busy.

tuesday morning we started where we left off the night before. bep and miep went grocery shopping with our ration coupons, father worked on our blackout screens, we scrubbed the kitchen floor, and were once again busy from sunup to sundown. until wednesday, i didn't have a chance to think about the enormous change in my life. then for the first time since our arrival in the secret annex, i found a moment to tell you all about it and to realize what had happened to me and what was yet to happen.

yours, anne