But the sofa, armchairs, and coffee table are missing. "Where's the furniture?" I ask. My mate chuckles. "It's been moved out of the way - to make room for what's about to happen." "No bed?" I ask. His only response is to grab a huge rubber sheet from the other side of the room and spread it across the floor. It's four times larger than our bed and thicker than a rug. "Are things really going to get so wet..."

