But finally, finally, a word escaped from his lips: ‘Barney,’ followed by, ‘And Solly too, I’m afraid.’ I’d been holding my breath for so long that I started gasping frantically: a huge rush of relief, of course. But then I caught a glimpse of Barney’s face. And just for a second there he looked absolutely shattered. All his dreams of TV fame had come crashing down on him. And Solly just seemed to wilt in front of us. I patted him and said, ‘I’m really sorry.’ Yes, I spoke to Solly before Barney, how mad is that? But Solly looked so little and defeated – and all right, I know he isn’t real, but I still felt dead sorry for him. Then Sig announced, ‘Barney and Solly, it’s time for you to be whizzed back to the present. You have three minutes to leave your wartime home.’ Barney put on a big act then, grinning all over his face as if he’d just won the lottery. ‘This is fantastic, as I’m now off to the land of Big Macs and computer games and twenty-four-hour telly, so I couldn’t be happier.’ Harriet and I both gave Barney and Solly big hugs.
