6:30 A.M.

Paul had to find somewhere to hide. But where?

Off to the side he saw a big hedgerow, behind a pile of rocks. The rocks might just protect him from the blasts. The hedgerow could keep him hidden from the Nazis.

Paul rushed over. The tall, prickly bush looked as solid as a wall. But of course Paul knew better. He quickly found an opening, a place where the branches grew apart.

His heart was racing. But he closed his eyes and imagined that Gerard was sitting next to him.

It had suddenly grown very quiet. The Allied guns had stopped firing.

Paul opened his eyes, and stared ahead at the sea with wonder.

The fog had disappeared. And so, it seemed, had the English Channel.

All Paul could see now were ships — thousands and thousands of them. There were ships and boats of all sizes and shapes. Above them, in the sky, floated hundreds of huge silver balloons. Paul wasn’t sure, but he thought maybe those were meant to keep enemy planes from swooping down to attack the ships.

The boats stretched out as far as Paul could see, in every direction.

Mr. Leon’s voice rang through Paul’s mind.

The largest invasion by sea in the history of the world.

And unlike the legend of the dragon, these words were true. Paul saw it all with his own eyes. If only Gerard were here to see it with him.

The ships sped forward.

Why weren’t the Nazis attacking back? Where were the cannons and machine guns that lined the cliffs?

Paul’s heart rose.

Had those Allied battleships destroyed all the cannons and machine guns? Were the Nazis slinking away or huddled in their bunkers?

The first of the ships were just a few hundred yards from the shore now. Paul pulled the branches open a little more so he could see better. He fixed his gaze on one of the smaller boats. It was still very far away. But Paul could see that it was packed with soldiers, rows of men in green. The boat rose up and down as it plowed forward through the rough waves. Paul imagined how water must be spraying into the boat, soaking the men. They must be freezing.

And scared.

The boat stopped when it was still maybe two hundred yards away from shore. That was the closest the boats could come, Paul realized. The Germans had lined the beach with giant metal and wooden stakes. There were also underground bombs — mines — buried under the sand, Paul had heard.

Paul leaned forward so his face was out of the hedge. He watched as the front of that boat was lowered, and men slid into the water that rose to their chests.

They were quickly joined by other men, from other boats. They pushed their way forward, through the choppy sea.

“Come on! Come on!” Paul wanted to shout.

And that’s when the German guns came to life.

Cannons blasted from the cliffs.

Kaboom!

Machine guns roared.

Brrrrrrrrrrttttt! Brrrrrrrrrrrrtttt!

Paul froze in horror as men were mowed down by the dozens. By the hundreds.

There was so much smoke that the ships seemed to disappear. But he heard the explosions as the ships were hit. He saw the flames.

And the men.

More and more of them were in the water now, making their way toward the beach. They pushed through the spray of machine gun fire. Some fell back and sank into the bloody water. But others made it to the beach.

And then?

There was no place for them to hide from the nonstop spray of machine gun fire.

Soon the beach was covered with bodies. Men cried out for help. Red, foaming waves crashed onto the shore.

Something inside Paul’s mind seemed to snap.

His eyes stopped seeing. His ears stopped hearing.

He leaned back and the branches seemed to wrap themselves around his body.

The leaves seemed to put gentle fingers over his face.

The hedgerow seemed to grow and grow, surrounding Paul like the walls of a castle.

Paul sat there, praying for this nightmare to end.

—

“Son? Son?”

Paul’s eyes snapped open.

He was looking into the face of a man with very dark skin. A soldier, wearing a helmet. He gently grabbed hold of Paul, like he was a wounded baby deer. And he pulled him out of the hedgerow.

Paul saw the American flag patch on the arm of his uniform.

The soldier helped Paul to his feet and waited a minute.

“Okay?” he said, raising his eyebrows.

Paul nodded, though he wasn’t sure what the man meant.

The soldier gave him a pat on the arm and hurried off.

Paul had no idea how much time had passed. He felt dazed. But the battle was still raging. Machine guns still roared. The cannons exploded. But somehow those Americans had made it up here.

So all was not lost.

Paul refused to look at the channel or the beaches.

He just wanted to get back to Maman.

The thick smoke made it hard to see, but Paul could run this route with his eyes closed.

Nobody tried to stop him.