Fall of the Berlin Wall

Hello, my name is Anna, and I live in a big city called Berlin. My city has something very strange in it. A big, tall, gray wall runs right through the middle of everything. It is like a long fence that you can never, ever cross. My favorite person in the whole world, my grandma, lives on the other side of that wall. I miss her so much. Sometimes, my papa takes me to a special spot where I can see her waving from far, far away. I wave back with my whole arm, wishing I could run over and give her a giant hug. It makes me sad that a wall can keep us apart.

One evening, on November 9, 1989, I was in my pajamas when I heard a happy noise outside. It sounded like a party. People were cheering and singing loud, joyful songs. My papa ran into my room with a huge smile on his face. He said, 'Anna, something wonderful is happening. Get your coat.' We quickly put on our warm coats and hats and hurried outside into the cool night air. Everyone from our street was walking together, all going in the same direction. They were all heading toward the big gray wall, and everyone was smiling and laughing with excitement.

When we got to the wall, I could not believe my eyes. It was amazing. There were big openings in the wall, like giant doorways. And people were walking right through them, coming from the other side. Strangers were hugging each other and crying happy tears. And then, I saw her. It was my grandma. She was walking right toward me with her arms open wide. I shouted, 'Grandma.' and ran as fast as I could. She picked me up and gave me the biggest, warmest, best hug ever. The wall couldn't keep us apart anymore. Our city was one big, happy family again.