Aren't they cute or what?

(from left to right) Five-year-old Anna-Bell, her seven-year-old sister, Anna-Lena and six-year-old Mika at the federal police post at the main railway station in Hanover. -- PHOTO: AFP

If you haven't seen them, read on:

Article first appeared in Straits Times.

Two German children elope 10 min-->
Two German
children, six and seven, elope for Africa

BERLIN - TWO childhood
sweethearts, aged six and seven, eloped from Hanover in northern Germany on New
Year's Eve, determined to tie the knot under the African sun, police said on
Monday.

The pair identified as Mika and Anna-Lena 'are very much
in love and decided to get married in Africa where it is warm, taking with them
as a witness Anna-Lena's little sister, aged five', police spokesman Holger
Jureczko told AFP.

The idea for the romantic trip began when Mika told the
two girls about his recent holiday in Italy, while their families celebrated New
Year's Eve together. 'From this, the children began to make plans for the
future,' Mr Jureczko said.

As the first dawn of 2009 broke, the trio started to put
these plans into action, packing all the essentials for the journey, including
'sunglasses, swimming trunks, a lilo, summer clothes and provisions'.
While their parents slept, they left their house in the suburbs of Hanover, walked a
kilometre up the road to a tram stop from where they took a tram for the central
station.

Waiting for a train to the airport, they aroused the
attention of a guard who contacted police.

Two officers managed to convince the young lovers that they
would struggle to get to Africa without money or a plane ticket.

As a consolation, the children were given a special tour of
the police headquarters at Hanover station where they were especially taken with
the detention cells.

Their relieved parents picked them up from the station, the
spokesman said, adding: 'They can still put their plan into action at a later
date.' -- AFP

Who would ever think that kids of 7 years will elope and even know the meaning of true love. Aren't they cute? Or are our kids these days are growing much faster than we even know.