In 'The Times' at the start of the year there was this very short snippet of a story:

BERLIN Police stopped three children aged 5 to 7 at Hanover railway station as they tied to set off on a trip to Africa. The boy and older girl, who had packed Lilos and swimsuits, were planning to get married.

In a longer version in another paper there was the added information that the girl had taken her younger sister (the 5-year old) to act as their witness.

My reaction was 'How sweet! What a great story!' I imagined them seeing a programme about Africa on TV, planning their elopement and deciding what to take with them - and of course essentials in Africa would be Lilos and swimsuits! It took me back to when I was a child and I imagined running away. I did actually set off with my suitcase one day, but sadly I was only heading off to my grandparents' up the road as my Mum had been cross with me!

Sadly everyone else I told didn't share my enthusiasm.

Where were their parents?

What if they hadn't been found? Something dreadful could have happened to them.

It was January for goodness sake, what if they'd got hypothermia?

Oh dear. If all that had happened of course I wouldn't have thought it was a great story. But it didn't!

Hurrah for children's imaginations!