Left

Taking a sharp bend to the left, they surfaced in a place they recognised as Kordin, but there were no factories, in fact no buildings at all, just ancient temples with old statues and prehistoric farmers growing crops to keep their families alive. Across the harbour a long strip of land extended out across the water – it was Valletta, still bare, without a single house on it!

Seeing the children in their strange modern clothes the farmers grabbed their clubs and started approaching them menacingly, so Pawlu, Marija and Isaac dashed back into the tunnel.

They ran and ran until they came to some rough steps. Following the light they found themselves among sheep and goats - it was Bir Mula, Roman house in Bormla, where the animals were kept safe every night in pens under the house! 

Slipping out into the street, they heard all sorts of voices and saw men, Sicilians, Greeks and Egyptians in strange eastern costumes with big beards and moustaches, speaking all sorts of different languages. These were the sailors who came to Birgu’s fine harbour to sell their cargo and stock up on food and water. 

They realized immediately they had come too far and started heading back, worried they wouldn’t find their way.

Walking back the way they came, something unexpected happened - looking back to see where they had come out of, they couldn't see the views of the temples any more, while Valletta was just a haze.  It was like the path back to the adventure had just vanished, and with it, their opportunity to explore and discover amazing things about their home.

Marija, Pawlu, and Isaac went back to their daily lives, but when they studied history, they shared secret smiles, as they knew it first-hand, and though their trip into the past was cut short, and although and they missed out on learning more about the heroic people of Cottonera, their experiences of travelling into the past made them feel very special.