“So how was Australia?” Toby asked Astrid. “I always wanted to visit there.”

“I was only there for a couple of days total, coming and going, but I really liked it. Christopher and I had a great time at Phillip Island. We saw koalas and everything.”

“There is nice shopping,” said Océane.

“Yes, there are great shops and restaurants in Melbourne,” added Astrid. “Our hotel was really nice too.”

“All right, get to the exciting parts,” said Mr. Bundersmith. “I want to hear all about your adventures in Antarctica.”

Astrid recounted her experiences in Dumont du’Urville and then on Amphitrite. She described all of the dives but didn’t go into much detail about the encounter with her leopard seal. Océane apparently felt compelled to offer color commentary however.

“When the seal grab Astrid, I never so scared,” she said.

“That must have been terrifying,” said Aunt Gerta.

“It was kind of scary,” agreed Astrid. “I was afraid for a moment that my dry suit might not live up to its name.”

“It drag her right down and I think we lose her,” continued Océane.

“It probably seemed more dramatic at the time than it really was,” said Astrid.

“You see how exciting when it is on television.”

“What’s that now?” wondered Astrid.

“They film for my father’s Antarctic television special,” said Océane. “They don’t have pictures of when the seal grab you, but I see the pictures of when she bring you the penguin.”

“Well I for one, can’t wait to see that program,” said Mr. Bundersmith. “This is certainly more than I expected. I was just waiting for you to tell us about how you gave away millions of dollars worth of gold.”

Astrid paused while she took a drink of water. “You heard about that, did you?”

“It’s all over the news,” said Toby.

“Well it was probably more like billions of dollars,” she said, glancing at her father. “But it’s not like we could get at it anyway.”

“I think you did exactly the right thing, honey,” said Dr. Maxxim. “I don’t see a need to rip every resource right out of the earth as soon as it’s found. Leave something for the future, I say.”