‘Is this absolutely necessary?’ asked Jack. He was digging in the grass with a shovel. A pile of dirt lay next to him, but no one could see it in the darkness of the night.

‘Of course, it is!’ snapped Silvia, putting her hands on her hips. She was digging with Jack. ‘It could be disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands!’

‘True,’ agreed Jack, ‘but couldn’t we hide it somewhere else? Didn’t the gardener plant a couple of rose bushes here?’

Silvia shrugged. ‘Well, it’s the middle of the night, so no one will see us, will they?’

Jack decided that there was no point in arguing.

Suddenly the metal box they were standing next to, gave a small rattle. Jack hadn’t noticed, but Silvia had.

‘Jack?’ she said nervously.

The box rattled again.

Silvia was starting to get worried. ‘Jack?’ she said again.

Then the box rattled again. It suddenly burst open. Blue sparks exploded out of it, swirling around it. They suddenly started cocooning the startled Jack. The blue sparks, along with Jack whooshed into the metal box, which snapped shut. With a pop, the box disappeared.

Silvia froze. The box appeared again. But now it was empty.

‘JACK!’