Diary 42

Dear Diary,

To a fifteen-year-old, the only heroes I ever read about ran around in

tight, colorful underwear and threw buildings at each other for fun. But

today, that all changed. A true hero leapt off the pages of a book to pay my

class a special visit. Her name is Miep Gies and she is the lady Anne Frank

wrote about in her diary. I can’t believe that the woman responsible for

keeping Anne Frank alive in the attic came to speak to us in person!

As I entered the Bruin Den teen center, I could feel the excitement.

Many of us stayed after school yesterday to make welcome signs to

decorate the walls and several students got to school really early to help set

up a big buffet. We wanted everything to be perfect.

After the proper introductions were made by Ms. Gruwell, she made

her entrance. Everybody stood up and cheered as Miep made her way into

the hall. I was thrilled to see her in person after seeing her portrayed in

movies and reading about her in the book. No colorful underwear needed—

she was a true hero.

After she settled in, Miep began to talk about how she was delighted to

meet us. She described to us firsthand how she hid the Frank family from

the Nazi soldiers and how she found Anne’s diary. When she described how

the Gestapo captured Anne and would not allow Miep to say good-bye, it

made all of us emotional. She told us about how she tried to bribe the

officers into letting her friends go, but they threatened to kill her.

My friend who was sitting next to me was crying. Since we’ve been

studying the Holocaust, it has made him think about all the people he knows

who have been killed. His best friend accidentally shot himself, and to this

day, he still has nightmares about his death. Miep told everyone that not a

day goes by where she doesn’t think about Anne.

When she said this, my friend stood up and told her she was his hero.

Then he asked her if she believed that she was a hero. We expected her to

say yes, but I think she surprised us all. She said, “No. You, my friends, are

the true heroes.” Heroes? Us? Having her say that made me realize more

than ever how special my classmates are. Like she said, we are the heroes

and it is up to us to let the younger generation know what’s going on. It sure

feels good to know that for once in my life my friends and I are doing the

right thing.

After she finished and we all had the opportunity to give her a hug or

have her sign our books, I realized how lucky we were. Most people will

probably never have the opportunity to hear her story in person like we did.

A legacy left by one girl, carried by one woman, was passed on to a new

generation of teens who have the chance to make a difference like Anne’s

diary did.

Now after meeting Miep, I can honestly say that my heroes are not just

made-up characters—my hero is real.

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