A Biography In The Making

• Hannah Potma, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2017

She hid the book behind her back and slowly walked towards her daughter who had her hands over her eyes and fidgeting in excitement. The girl was sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by her sister and father.

“Keep your eyes closed” she instructed as she brought the book forward and placed it in her lap.

She immediately removed her hands from her eyes revealing a face filled with joy. She flicks through the pages of crisp, lined paper then slams the book closed and leaps up to hug her mother and father, then her sister followed by them all joining for a family hug.

“Happy birthday!” the three say in sync with each other.

The girls thanks her family in delight.

The sun was just rising making all the rooms with windows, facing the east, fill with a warm orange glow that would enlighten your mood. The soft sun rays would touch your skin making you feel warm and cosy. The whole family was in a good mood as shown by the merry smiles.

The girl started to head over to her bedroom clutching onto her book tightly, but her mother stopped her from leaving and beckoned her to eat some breakfast before she got lost in her writing. The girl’s love for writing was simply fascinating. She never had the chance to write at home as supplies, such as paper and pens, were limited.

Her father, sister and herself sat at the breakfast table and her mother went straight over to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. She asked her family for any suggestions.

“You could write creative stories, I know you really like to write…” her mum explained but was interrupted by her husband.

“How about you write a diary about everywhere you go, every person you meet and everything you do?” her father said in such delight.

“Oh father you are a genius!” she said as her face lit up with happiness. Her mother then served her some toast, made with their brand new toaster.

Their window looked out onto the street of Prinsengracht, in Amsterdam. The street had a canal which would capture the morning sun in through the window. The view was quite beautiful and relaxing to look at. This helped take their mind off the war and the German invasion.

The girl was excused from the table and had rushed to her room, book in hand. She immediately sat down at her desk and opened the book. She grabbed her pen from her stationery holder.

Without hesitating, she started writing her first diary entry. She had a lot to write about as she had never documented her life before. She was so indulged in her writing that she blocked out anything happening around her.

An hour had gone by, she signed off her diary entry in cursive, ‘Anne Frank'. As she closed her book she could hear the rumbling of the war.