The sun rose, and the children were no longer statues.
They were standing knee-deep in brambles and grass.
The lawn, the marble steps, and the pool had disappeared.
It was very cold.
"We're on the island," said Mabel.
"But we can't swim anymore.
We're stuck here."
"Isn't there a boat somewhere?" Jimmy asked.
"No." Mabel shivered.
"There must be something we can do," said Gerald.
"The ring!" cried Mabel.
"We can wish ourselves home.
Do you have the ring, Kathleen?"
Kathleen shook her head.
"Psyche wanted to see it so I gave it to her.
It's probably still on her finger!"
Everyone tried not to be angry with Kathleen.
But everyone was upset.
"Maybe we can find Psyche's statue and get the ring back," said Gerald.
"I've never seen that statue," said Mabel.
Kathleen sniffled.
She was about to cry.
"Why don't we explore the island," said Gerald.
"Maybe we'll find a boat."
None of them believed that they'd find a boat.
But they set off to explore the island anyway.
They were all miserable.
The brambles scratched Mabel's bare feet and legs.
She had left her shoes and stockings on the mainland.
"Come on, everybody, cheer up," said Gerald.
"We'll get out of here."
Suddenly he stumbled and disappeared with a yell.
Mabel nearly fell too.
Right in front of her was a flight of moss-covered steps.
"Gerald, are you hurt?" she called down the steps.
"A little," he said. "But I found a passage."
"There's always a passage in this place," said Jimmy.
"I forgot about that passage!" declared Mabel.
"It goes under the water and comes out at the Temple of Flora!
Maybe it even goes past the place where the Ugly-Wugly found his good hotel."
"I'm not going down there in the dark," said Kathleen.
Gerald came back up the steps.
"Maybe there's a secret spring."
Then Gerald led the way down the steps.
He held Kathleen's hand so she wouldn't feel afraid.
The steps led to a passage, which took a turn.
Then there were more steps.
These led to a straight, clean, marble passage.
Suddenly the children found themselves in a great hall.
The room was filled with light.
And each one of them noticed something different in the arches around the room.
There was a ship at sea.
A king on his throne.
The Ugly-Wugly sitting happily in front of a good hotel.
"Oh, I'm glad we came!" said Kathleen.
They walked slowly through the hall.
At the end of the hall, they saw the source of the light:
the statue of Psyche.
On its hand was the ring.
"I hope you don't mind," Gerald said to the statue.
He removed the ring very gently.
They passed Psyche and entered a dark, twisting passage.
"Give me the ring, Gerald," said Kathleen.
"I know what to say."
Gerald handed it to her reluctantly.
"I wish," she said slowly, "that no one at home will know we've been out tonight.
I wish we were safe in our own beds and asleep."
And that is exactly what happened next.