Nancy's Diary: All Quiet On The Western Front

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As the months passed, the war and all that it brought with it, affected the citizens of France in varying ways, bringing prejudice, suffering and violence along with it.
Nancy and Henri helped out wherever they could, helping their friends, their neighbours and even strangers the best that they were able to. Passively resisting and then overtly assisting in confounding and frustrating the Nazi and Vichy authorities at every opportunity.
After all, they had been invaded, their Country was no longer theirs alone and they felt the same anger and feelings of helplessness as the rest of France.
They resolved to make the best of their situation for now, biding their time...

* * * * *

Nancy walked out of the butcher shop feeling frustrated. No meat to be had for love nor money. What to do, what to do now... Lost in wondering for a moment, she walked straight into the path of a man who was hurrying past the shop heading down the road. Equally he was paying no attention to anyone else around him, lost in his own thoughts. They banged straight into each other, with a hard bump, which caused both of them to rebound a step or two. "Och, Sorry." the man said before carrying on past her. Nancy did a double take and walked quickly to catch up with him, "Excuse me Monsieur," she said quietly, as she matched her walking speed to his. "But that accent... Are you Scottish by any chance?" "I don't know what you mean Madame?" he replied in perfect French. A flash of alarm crossed the man's face, but he carried on walking. "It's OK, I'm from New Zealand myself." Nancy replied in her original accented English. The man stopped and looked at her, taking in the small, smart and expensively dressed woman who stood next to him. "Madame, you should never speak to strangers or trust them with any information in days like these. It is truly most unwise," he said in French before smiling and whispering, "Yes, I'm from Edinburgh". Nancy looked at him, tall, quite good looking with smiling eyes and a pleasant demeanour, "Do you need anything Monsieur? Anything that I can help with?" "Well..." He looked around quickly and grabbed her lightly by the arm, "Let's get off the street shall we!" He laughed and nodded to a Cafe over the road. They walked quickly across to it and went inside. Without going to the counter they sat down at one of the tables and Nancy said quietly, "I had hoped you didn't misunderstand what I said outside!" He raised one eyebrow, "I didn't misunderstand Mademoiselle, I know a proposition when I hear one... and I accept!" He looked at Nancy's face as she opened her mouth to reply, then he laughed, "I jest my lady. Now, who are you? You don't look like a Nazi." "I'm a concerned citizen who is offering to help you out, if that is, Monsieur is in need of assistance." Nancy said carefully. "Well, it just so happens that I am, but perhaps not in the way that you
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The second precious package is a Jewish family, two adults and three children, running from compulsory deportation. And my dear lady, that is where you could come in. Can I bring them to your factory to lay low for a few days? While I show you what else you can do for me...”

"That sounds wonderful, bring them with you and we will take good care of them. The poor little loves must be terrified."

"Oh I don't know, the children are made of remarkably resilient stuff, it's incredible really, they treat it all as a big adventure".

"The Children? I meant the Allied Officers." Nancy joked.

They both laughed, "Coffee? And then we can get back to what else you can do for me..." He said and winked at her as he got up and went over to the counter to order some drinks. Chapter 5 As the Nazi forces flooded outwards, in different directions, to facilitate the maniacal territory acquisition plans of Hitler's Germany, all that the majority of the people in the invaded Countries could do was to read the headlines in their

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