It was a humid summer evening when 14-year-old Alex Parker first stumbled upon the strange book. The sun was setting over the small town of Willowbend, casting long shadows across the attic of his grandfather’s old house. The attic was a place of forgotten things—dusty photo albums, faded furniture, and broken trinkets that hadn’t seen the light of day in decades. Alex wasn’t supposed to be up there. His mother had warned him countless times: "Don’t go poking around in your grandfather’s attic. There are too many old things that could be dangerous."
But Alex was curious, and curiosity had a way of getting the best of him.
He had been searching for something to stave off the boredom of summer vacation when he noticed it—a small, battered wooden chest tucked away behind a pile of yellowing newspapers. It looked ancient, its lock rusted and the wood chipped from years of neglect. His pulse quickened as he approached it, already imagining the treasures it might hold. Carefully, he lifted the lid, which creaked loudly, disturbing the silence of the attic.
Inside, there was only one item: a thick leather-bound book. No title, no author—just a symbol engraved into the weathered leather cover: an eye surrounded by spiraling lines, as though it were gazing into infinity.
Alex hesitated. His instincts told him that there was something unsettling about the book, but his curiosity pushed him forward. He brushed the dust off the cover and opened it. A cold breeze seemed to sweep through the room, though all the windows were shut tight. The first few pages were filled with faded handwriting, scrawled in a language that he couldn’t understand. But halfway through the book, the writing shifted into English. One page in particular caught his attention—it was a map. Roughly drawn, with only a few key landmarks marked: the old mill, the Willowbend creek, and then... Silverwood.
Alex's breath caught in his throat. Silverwood was a small, overgrown forest on the outskirts of town. No one ever went there, not since the strange incident years ago when a group of kids disappeared for days. They were found, but none of them ever spoke of what happened. The woods had been abandoned ever since. But why would an old, forgotten book in his grandfather's attic contain a map leading there?
Something inside him stirred—a mix of excitement and fear. He knew he had to explore Silverwood. Whatever secrets this book held, he had to find them. Stuffing the book into his backpack, Alex made up his mind: tomorrow, he would go to Silverwood.
Write a comment ...