There was always a peculiar twilight in the school's geography room. The old wooden benches creaked under even the lightest pressure, and on the wall hung a collection of maps, some of which looked as if they still remembered the time of the discovery of America. However, they were not the ones that attracted Igor's attention the most. It was a June evening and lessons had long since ended. Igor stayed longer at school, because he was helping Mrs Nowicka sort out the atlases, when suddenly he heard a loud thumping from the next room. He moved towards the sound, turned the key in the lock and looked inside. Surprisingly, everything seemed to be in its place, but there was an old globe in the middle of the desk. It had scratches and its varnish had worn off in places, but Igor would have sworn it had been locked in a display case before. As soon as the boy came closer, the globe let out something like a protracted sigh. Igor reflexively withdrew his hand, convinced it was a prediction. But then he heard a clear, albeit quiet, sound: - At last ... someone has come. Igor froze, looking in disbelief at the slowly spinning ball. He quickly looked around, searching for a hidden speaker or other prankster, but he was all alone in the room. - 'Don't be afraid,' he heard, this time the voice was stronger and seemed to have gained courage. - I need your help. Someone is taking the maps from this classroom under the cover of darkness, and only you can find the culprit. Igor felt a shiver run down his spine. Questions swirled in his head: was he crazy, was this some kind of weird joke, was he really just talking to the globe? - Why me? - he choked out after a moment. The globe twisted a little and its metal meridian squeaked. - Because you're the only one who can hear me. But be warned... you are not the only one here who understands the speech of this school. You have very little time before the last map is gone forever. Igor felt his heart beating faster than ever before. There was a quiet creaking sound at the door, as if someone was trying to open it from the outside. He held his breath and looked at the globe and then at the handle, which had just begun to move slowly....