Kathleen opened the map of the Caen area and showed it to Annie.

“Mondeville …,” Annie said, pointing. “And Biéville. It looks like we have about seven miles to go.”

“All set?” said Jack. He took a breath. He started the truck, shifted into gear, then drove down the driveway toward the road.

“Turn right,” said Kathleen, studying the map.

Jack turned right. He drove faster and shifted gears as they moved up the quiet Road of Rocks.

“Left onto Calmette Street,” said Kathleen, “then right onto Clopee.”

Jack followed her directions.

“Right onto Cabourg,” said Annie, “then a quick left.”

Jack turned onto Cabourg, then made a quick left—and landed in the middle of a traffic jam!

“Oh, no,” Kathleen said quietly.

Up the road, Nazi soldiers were stopping traffic. Two of the Nazis held up spotlights as vehicles crawled toward them.

“What’s going on?” asked Annie.

“It’s a checkpoint,” said Kathleen.

Jack stopped breathing. “What does that mean?” he asked.

“It means officials randomly stop vehicles and check identities,” said Kathleen.

The soldiers waved one car through, but they stopped the next. Traffic came to a halt as a Nazi official shined a flashlight into the car that had stopped.

“Oh, man,” said Jack. When he saw another Nazi inspect the car’s trunk, he started to panic. He was terrified that the soldiers would stop them, too, and look in the back of the bakery truck.

“Tell the kids to be quiet,” Jack said.

Kathleen tapped on the partition. “Quiet, please, children! You must be very quiet now! Not one word!”

The children were silent. Jack gripped the steering wheel to try to stop his hands from shaking.

“Jack, you have to look calm,” said Kathleen. “You must look as if you drive this truck every day to deliver bread.”

“Yeah, like it’s no big deal,” said Annie.

“I—I don’t think I can—” Jack said in a strangled voice.

“You have to!” said Annie.

“Wait … wait a moment!” said Kathleen. She closed her eyes and opened them. “Oh, my!”

“What is it?” asked Jack.

“I just recalled a spell that will keep us safe!” she said.

“Really?” said Jack.

“Yes. Since being with you and Annie, I have grown more hopeful. I think that feeling of hope is bringing back some of my magic!” said Kathleen.

“That’s wonderful!” said Annie. “What’s the spell you remember?”

“It is a spell to make us invisible,” said Kathleen.

“Really?” said Jack.

“Yes, drive on, Jack,” said Kathleen. The cars had started moving again. “Do not look to either side—stare straight ahead.”

As Jack shifted from neutral into first gear and then second, Kathleen closed her eyes and whispered a rhyme:

Powers of goodness, powers of light,

Shield us now from powers of sight.

When Kathleen started to repeat the rhyme, Annie closed her eyes and joined in:

Powers of goodness, powers of light,

Shield us now from powers of sight.

Holding his breath and staring straight ahead, Jack drove toward the checkpoint.

Powers of goodness, powers of light,

Shield us now from powers of sight.

Kathleen opened her eyes and looked around. “It worked,” she whispered. “We are invisible.”

“We are?” said Jack. “How do you know?”

“The Nazis are completely ignoring us,” said Kathleen. “They see nothing but empty space between the car in front of us and the car behind us. When it is our turn to pass the checkpoint, be calm and drive straight through.”

Jack relaxed a little as he imagined being invisible. Kathleen whispered the magic spell again:

Powers of goodness, powers of light,

Shield us now from powers of sight.

The soldiers waved at the driver of the green car ahead of the bakery truck, giving permission for it to move on.

“Good,” said Kathleen. “Now just follow closely behind that car and we will be fine.”

Jack fixed his eyes on the back of the green car. Following it, he drove steadily and calmly past the checkpoint. When he glanced in the rearview mirror, he saw that the soldiers were paying no attention at all to the bakery truck. He had no doubt now that Kathleen’s magic was working. They were definitely invisible.

“Drive on, Jack,” said Kathleen.

Jack drove on. When he looked in his rearview mirror again, he saw the soldiers stopping the car behind them.

“We made it!” said Annie.

“Yes,” said Kathleen, looking at the map. “Turn left here, Jack. Then an immediate right and follow the sign to St. Clair.”

Jack did as Kathleen said. He turned left, then right, and pressed harder on the gas pedal. The road ahead was empty. He drove faster and faster, shifting into third gear. In the fading light of dusk, the truck glided along the smooth road.

“Yay,” said Annie. “I think we’ll make it by nightfall!”

Jack said nothing. He was afraid to break the spell of invisibility.

“When you see a sign for Biéville, turn right,” said Kathleen.

Jack nodded and kept driving.

“Biéville!” said Annie.

Jack turned right.

“Church!” said Annie.

The white steeple of the church was rising into the darkening sky. Next to the church was the drop zone, the empty field where they had landed with their parachutes.

“That’s where Teddy will pick us up,” said Annie.

“Good. Drive to the back of the church,” said Kathleen, “so the truck cannot be seen.”

How can the truck be seen from anywhere? Jack wondered. Has Kathleen undone her spell? He pulled off the road and bumped over the grass to the back of the church. When he brought the truck to a stop and switched off the engine, Kathleen and Annie clapped.

“We’re here! We made it!” said Annie.

“You were brilliant, Jack!” said Kathleen.

“Oh, no, you get the credit,” he said. “I could never have done it without your magic.”

“Yes, you could have,” said Kathleen. “In fact, you did.”

“What?” said Jack.

“Jack, I fear I did not tell you the truth,” said Kathleen. “I still do not have magic powers. I did not make us invisible with a spell.”

“You didn’t?” said Annie.

“No,” said Kathleen. “I knew that as long as Jack felt confident, an ordinary bakery truck would not draw the attention of the Nazis. I felt sure we could slip safely by.”

“Oh, brother,” said Jack. He took a deep breath. He didn’t know whether to be angry with Kathleen or amazed at himself. In his confusion, he just laughed. Annie and Kathleen joined in. Well, at least the scariest part of the journey is over, Jack thought.

Kathleen, Jack, and Annie climbed out of the cab. The countryside was quiet. No vehicles were in sight, and no dogs were barking. The moon was on the horizon.

“I hope Teddy received the messages from Gaston and Sylvie,” said Jack, “or else we’ll all be stranded here during the D-Day invasion.”

“Tell me, what is the D-Day invasion?” asked Kathleen.

“Sometime after midnight, more than a hundred thousand Allied soldiers will invade by sea and air to drive the Nazis out of France,” said Jack. “It will be the beginning of the end of World War Two.”

“That is good. Very good,” breathed Kathleen. “All the world is living a great nightmare now. When it wakes, everyone will wonder how this could have happened, and I fear no one will know the answer.” She shook her head. “Well, what should we do now?”

“I think maybe we should do a better job of hiding the truck,” said Jack, looking around.

“You and I can move it down the road,” said Annie.

“While you do that, I will hide the children in the church,” said Kathleen.

“Good plan,” said Jack. “We’ll help you get them inside.”

Kathleen, Jack, and Annie walked to the rear of the truck. When Kathleen opened the door, they found the children sprawled all over the back, fast asleep. Even Sophie and Sarah had closed their eyes. “Wake up, birdies,” Kathleen sang softly. “Wake up.”

Her sweet voice roused the children from sleep. As they began to stir, some reached out and put their arms around Jack, Annie, and Kathleen. Jack gently lifted Leo and Eli out of the back of the truck. Then he clutched their hands and walked with them across the grass. “Let’s go inside this nice building,” he said. “It’s peaceful in there.”

“Is this our new house?” Leo asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Can you live here with us?” said Eli.

Jack led his two sleepy three-year-olds into the church, while Annie, Kathleen, Sophie, and Sarah shepherded the others after him.

Inside the dark front entrance, the air smelled of old wood and incense. The last light of day shone through stained-glass windows. After Jack, Annie, and Kathleen got everyone settled in the front pew, Kathleen started to lead the children in song.

“Let’s move the truck now,” Jack said to Annie. She nodded. As they slipped down the aisle and out of the church, they heard:

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping,

Brother John, Brother John?

Morning bells are ringing,

Morning bells are ringing,

Ding dong ding, ding dong ding.