Two Canadian schoolgirls were intercepted by police after they snuck out of a sleepover and boarded a night bus, in a bid to travel 4,600 miles to London.
Armed with a hand-drawn map, the adventurers, aged 10 and 12, were spotted boarding a bus in their pyjamas just outside Vancouver shortly before midnight on Monday.
Their excursion in Burnaby was short-lived, however, as the young travellers caught the attention of the driver, Ed Boleak.
He sensed “something didn’t seem right”, so called the Transit Police.
Constable Cho and Constable Cantera arrived a short time later to pick the girls up and return them to their “anxious parents”.
The force later posted a picture of the children’s map on social media. It detailed their home location, the night bus stop, an area they could stop for a snack and the UK capital – just a scribbled line away.
“The two girls had been having a sleepover when they snuck out of the house to go on an adventure that included following a hand-drawn map for the journey,” Transit Police BC wrote on Facebook.
“Unfortunately they didn’t realize how much potential danger they were putting themselves in, or the distress they were causing their parents.”
Police thanked Boleak for being watchful and calling them and urged others to be vigilant and contact authorities if something seems amiss.
The driver said of his efforts: “I’m glad to hear that it’s all good, but this is something we all would have done.”