‘So we can get going, right?’

‘Yup, we’re ready to go!’ Caroline calls out cheerfully and opens the front door. Jens walks past her and heads for the car that is parked right in front of the house.

‘Please get in!’ He flings open the passenger door.

‘Come, Hercules!’ Caroline calls to me – but I hesitate. The car looks kind of funny. Sort of dangerous. At first, I can’t work out what’s bothering me so much, but when Caroline lifts me up to put me in the car, the problem is as plain as day. The car has no roof!

•

Twenty minutes later, my misgivings about getting into something that goes very fast and doesn’t keep you from falling out have faded away. I’m sitting on Caroline’s lap and pointing my nose out into the glorious summer air, and my ears are blowing in the wind. A dream come true! Jens and Caroline are having a cheerful conversation. I can’t really tell what they’re saying, because the wind is whooshing in my ears so loudly that I can’t hear very well. But it doesn’t matter. At this moment, I feel as though I’m flying, and the feeling is fantastic. The trees at the side of the road are rushing past and blurring together to form a bright green hedgerow. The sky above us is blue and wide-open; I could keep going like this for hours – sort of, anyway. The reason I’m saying ‘sort of’ is that my belly is still hurting from not getting anything to eat, so I hope that the time will soon come for Caroline to take the basket with the tasty titbits out of the boot.

Sure enough, Jens starts slowing down, and the green wall is turning back into individual trees. Eventually, he stops.

‘So, here we are. Just a second; I’ll help you!’

Jens jumps out of the car, runs around it, and opens Caroline’s door. Very attentive, I have to say. I hop off Caroline’s lap, then Jens holds out his hand to Caroline and helps her out. Hmm, it smells good here. Like woods and water, and a wee bit wild. Armed with the picnic basket, we head to a little thicket on a hillside. A set of steps leads down to a clearing. We stand still there for a minute.

‘Look at that.’ Jens points ahead. ‘Isn’t that a fabulous view?’

‘Yes, it looks lovely when the Elbe glistens in the sunlight like that.’

Sounds good, but in case anyone cares, I can’t see anything at all. My short legs bring me right to the level of the nettles that have sprouted up like crazy to the left and right of the steps. Is either one of them planning to pick me up? I want to see too! I sit up and beg.

‘I think Hercules is famished.’ Caroline completely misinterprets what I’m asking for. ‘Normally, he gets something to eat by eleven o’clock.’