Vinnie and Mandy stood by the front door with their parents.
Mom was taking them shopping for new school clothes.
"What will you do, honey?" Mom asked Dad.
"Don't worry about me." He smiled.
"I'll be working on my den."
Vinnie and Mandy looked at each other.
"Do you have to do it now, Dad?" Mandy asked.
She had left the album on a shelf.
He would certainly see it.
"Why shouldn't I?
You'll be out," replied Dad.
He opened the front door for them.
"But . . . ," whined Mandy.
"What's the matter?" asked Mom.
"You love to go shopping."
"I know, but . . . ," said Mandy.
"We need a miracle," Vinnie whispered.
"What did you say?" asked Mom.
The phone suddenly rang, and Dad answered it.
"It's your mother," he said to Mom.
"I'll just be a minute, kids.
Wait in the car," Mom said.
"Well, okay," said Mandy, feeling a bit uncertain.
Vinnie winked at Mandy and said,
"Uh, I left something upstairs.
I'll be right back."
"Me too!" Mandy added quickly.
They both ran upstairs.
"I think those kids are hiding something,"
Dad muttered to himself.
When they got to the attic, the children let out a long sigh.
"I was so scared he'd find this,"
Mandy said as she took the album from the shelf.
"We don't have a lot of time," Vinnie said.
"Do you want to go on a trip now?"
Mandy nodded.
"But hurry! Mom won't be on the phone long."
Vinnie opened the album.
The old man was standing by a table with a small black machine on it.
A woman was holding something and it was glowing.
"It looks like a sewing machine," remarked Mandy.
"But what's glowing?"
Vinnie looked at the photo.
"Some kind of curtain, I think."
Before he could look more closely, the children fell down the dark tunnel.
Mandy landed on soft grass, and Vinnie fell beside her.
A crowd was gathered nearby.
"Where are we?"
Mandy asked, dusting off her clothes.
She wore a pretty pink dress with ribbons.
Vinnie looked down at his pants.
They came just to his knees.
He wore long socks and black shoes.
"I don't know,"
Vinnie began, but he was interrupted by music.
The children ran to join the crowd.
Everyone was standing in front of a very large, carved marble arch.
Behind the arch was a huge building with many columns.
"The flag on that arch looks familiar," said Mandy.
"Mandy!" Vinnie cried excitedly.
"I think we're in—"
Before Vinnie could finish, someone grabbed Mandy.
"There you are!" a young woman shouted.
"I've been looking everywhere for you!"