It turned out Dad's ankle was badly sprained.
He could not walk for two weeks.
"Since I can't work, let's all take a little vacation," Dad said cheerfully.
"We can spend more time in the attic," whispered Vinnie to Mandy.
They started up the stairs.
"Mandy? I need your help," Mom called from the kitchen.
"Coming, Mom!" Mandy yelled.
Then she turned to Vinnie.
"Wait for me," she said.
"Well, you'd better hurry up!"
he replied, running up the stairs.
In the attic, Vinnie picked up the photo album.
He wanted to open it so badly.
He listened for Mandy's footsteps.
He looked at the clock on the attic wall.
Fifteen minutes had passed by.
"Come on, Mandy!" he said aloud.
Impatiently, Vinnie opened the album.
He stared at the next photo.
The old man was standing in front of a large domed building.
It had four tall towers around it.
The towers were glowing.
"Sorry, Mandy," Vinnie said, as his eyes closed.
He fell down the dark tunnel.
He landed on something hard, though not as hard as the ground.
But he wasn't alone.
"Ouch!" Vinnie cried.
"You tried to leave me again!"
Mandy was pinching him.
"I waited but you were taking too long,"
Vinnie said, rubbing his arm.
"You couldn't wait ten more seconds?" asked Mandy.
Suddenly, something under them began to move.
"Hey!" cried Vinnie. "What's happening?"
"Vinnie! We didn't land on the ground," whispered Mandy.
"We're on a camel!"
The children were sitting in two saddles on a very large camel.
"Where are we?" Mandy asked aloud.
She looked around.
Donkeys were pulling wagons loaded with wooden boxes of different sizes.
Other wagons carried barrels.
Some people rode on horses.
Carpets were piled on top of camels.
Everyone in the group moved slowly.
"There are so many people!" said Vinnie.
"And lots of animals too," added Mandy.
"I wonder where we're going," said Vinnie.
"Let me see the photo," said Mandy.
Vinnie gave it to her.
Mandy studied the photo for a moment.
"It looks like a temple," she remarked.
Their camel stopped suddenly.
Everyone else had stopped too.
A man on a horse stopped next to them.
He was wearing a long robe and turban.
"We are about to enter the city," he shouted to the travelers.
"Look after your goods and animals.
We don't want any strangers coming after our caravan."
"Strangers?" Vinnie gulped.
The man pointed ahead and cried,
"To Istanbul—the greatest city in the great Ottoman Empire!"