Dad was spending more time in the attic.
Vinnie and Mandy were getting anxious.
The attic was looking more like a tidy office.
The children were running out of places to hide the album.
"We have to do something,"
Mandy said as she sat in the kitchen.
Dad was in the attic, setting up his computer.
Suddenly they heard a familiar bark.
"Corky!" yelled Vinnie.
He ran to the front door and opened it.
The next door neighbor stood there with his dog.
"Hey, Vinnie," said the neighbor, smiling.
"Is your dad home?
He promised to drive me to the auto repair shop to pick up my car."
"Dad! Corky's here!" yelled Mandy excitedly.
The children knew how much Dad loved dogs.
"Hey, Corky!" Dad said, coming down the stairs.
He petted Corky, and the dog wagged its tail happily.
"Tell your mom I'll be right back,"
he said to the children, grabbing his car keys.
"Take your time!" Vinnie and Mandy exclaimed.
As soon as Dad was gone, they ran up to the attic.
Last time, the children had hid the album behind a large plant.
"Whew! It's still here," Vinnie said with relief.
He opened the album. "Mandy, look!"
They were almost at the end of the album.
"What happens when we get to the last page?" Mandy asked sadly.
"Let's think about that later," Vinnie said quickly.
He turned the page.
"Wow! What is that?" Mandy cried.
The photo showed a large temple.
People were walking up its steep steps.
They held glowing objects.
The old man stood watching them nearby.
"It looks like some kind of a parade," Vinnie said.
"I wonder where this is."
Before the children could say another word, they fell down the dark tunnel.
Mandy landed first in some soft dirt.
She took a deep breath.
"Stinky!" she cried, holding her nose.
"Hey! Ow!" Vinnie cried.
He had hit something hard after his fall down the tunnel.
The children opened their eyes.
Two pairs of big brown eyes looked down at them.
"Uh, hello?" Mandy said softly to two large oxen.
Vinnie had bounced off an ox!
"This must be some kind of farm,"
said Vinnie, still rubbing his back.
The children stood up.
They were next to a barn with no walls.
Its straw roof was held up by wooden poles.
Suddenly the ox Vinnie had hit let out an angry snort.
The animal shook its head and began to dig at the ground with one hoof.
The children froze.
Vinnie gulped. "I think he's getting ready to attack."