To read the story from the start go to: https://the-inkling.com/catch-up-with-the-inklings/

On Sunday morning John woke Fanta up earlier than she would have liked.

“Emily is making breakfast” said John.

“Why so early?” asked Fanta.

“She wants to take us all to a playground this morning then out to lunch” said John. “I know you said you wanted to have an adventure today and maybe this is not what you were thinking of, but it might be fun. Emily seems to really be enjoying having us here”

Fanta felt grumpy about Emily planning her Sunday but she realised that the kind of adventure Emily was taking them on was probably at least as good as what she’d have been able to organize – it wasn’t likely that she and John could do something really exciting, like spying on people, when they had to bring her sisters along.

When Fanta and John walked into the lounge room Emily’s kids came to greet them.

“Good morning Summer and Spencer” said Fanta.

“How did you remember their names so quickly?” whispered John.

“I said them over and over in my head twenty times” said Fanta. “Do you remember how old they are?”

“They are smaller than your sisters so I guess they are 3 and 5” said John.

“Close” said Fanta. “Spencer is 4 and Summer is 6”

Greg told everyone to sit down at the dining table while he and Emily brought out the breakfast.  Fanta could tell from the way Spencer and Summer reacted to what their parents put on their table that Emily and Greg had gone to more trouble than they usually did at breakfast time- Spencer was bouncing in his chair with excitement as he looked at the plate of pancakes and Summer kept trying to grab a cinnamon roll.

“Wait!” said Greg. “Let the guests serve themselves first”

“Please don’t take all the cinnamon rolls” asked Summer.

“Don’t worry, there are plenty. I have more in the kitchen” said Greg.

“Who’d like scrambled eggs, toast, tea or coffee?” asked Emily.

Fanta noticed John’s eyes light up when Emily mentioned toast.

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After breakfast everyone set out to walk to the local park.

“We can stay here a few hours and then have lunch. There’s an excellent café next to the park” said Emily.

Fanta wondered how any park would keep them busy for more than an hour but was glad she didn’t say anything because when the park came into view she realised that it wasn’t an average local playground – it as enormous and full of adventures. There were three giant slides that you had to climb towers to get to, flying foxes large enough for adults to play on, giant swings and even a lake with pedal boats for hire.

Fanta noticed that Emily and Greg had been watching their guest’s faces and were smiling at their reactions. When Ruby and Nancy ran off in the direction of the flying foxes Fanta had to control the urge to race them there. Instead she looked at John to see what he wanted to play on first.

Emily dropped John, Fanta and her sisters home late on Sunday afternoon. When they got inside Nancy declared “That was the best day ever!”

“Yes it was” said Fanta. Her muscles ached, her hair was messy and her clothes were grubby, but it had been worth it.