At the end of chapter 8, the girls were told that they would be having a funeral for Great Aunt Birte. This news surprised Annemarie for several reasons. First, no one had informed her that there had been a death in their family, which she finds unusual. Unlike her younger sister Kirsti, she is old enough to be told when important events occur.

Moreover, Annemarie has never heard of Great Aunt Birte before. This is perhaps a greater reason why she is surprised. Annemarie enjoys hearing about her mother’s family and the stories of her own childhood. Therefore, she does not understand why she has never heard a story about Great Aunt Birte. Annemarie thinks,

This was the first she had heard of a death in the family. No one had called Copenhagen to say that there had been a death. No one had seemed sad. And—most puzzling of all—she had never heard the name before.

Annemarie finally confronts her Uncle Henrik and tells him that she knows that he and her mother are lying to her. She feels certain that she never had a Great Aunt Birte. Uncle Henrik admits that he and her parents sometimes hide things from her to protect her and also so as to not scare her. They are living during frightening times under German occupation during World War II.

The funeral for the aunt is a ruse. Mourning the loss of a relative or close friend is one of the few reasons that the Germans will accept for why there is a gathering after curfew. People come to in Uncle Henrik’s house to “mourn” Great Aunt Birte. They are dressed in dark clothes, as mourners generally are. In this case, however, their clothes are also intended to mask their actions, as Uncle Henrik will help them escape to a neutral territory where, presumably, they will be safe from the Nazis.