Debbie was already pulling on her dress and slipping into her sandals by the time Tad had dried himself. Both children were shivering. The days were hot in the country, but the nights could be equally cold.

"Come on!" yelled Debbie as she began to run back up the dry stones along the side of the stream. Tad scrambled for his sandals and began to run too. He caught up with his sister at the corner where the hotel, half hidden in the tree-shadows, seemed to be brooding in the night. A pale light shone in the Professor's window.

Tad hesitated, trying to decide what to do. He had to make a decision.

"We'll tell him about this tomorrow!" called Tad.

They ran on in silence, up to the sealed road, and then along towards home. Both children were thinking about the likely reception they would receive when they got home. They were not wrong.

"Where have you two been?"

It was Mum. She was standing in the doorway. Her voice was a mixture of anger and concern. "Your father has been out looking for you! Where did you go? Why didn't you tell someone where you were going?"

"We.. .its hard to explain," said Tad.

"We tried to get home, but it was nighttime all of a sudden!"

"Don't talk nonsense! You had plenty of time to get home! It only takes 15 minutes to walk from the stream to your house!"

"But we did try to get home! It happened too quickly! Really Mum!"

It was useless to try to explain, the children realized. How could they explain? It sounded unbelievable to them too, even though they knew it was true.

As the children made their way to the kitchen, their mother continued to tell them off, but the hard edge of her anger was blunted by the love she felt for them. She eventually began to ask them if they were hungry, and then she noticed how cold they looked, so she ordered them to get some dry clothes on.

Melanie, the youngest member of the family began to cry in her bedroom.