A hidden map in the attic points to a castle that should not exist, and when I follow it into the forest, the castle seems to be waiting for me.
I found it by accident, tucked into a dusty old box at the back of the attic, folded into four neat squares.
At first it looked like nothing more than a yellowed scrap of paper. But when I opened it, the lines on it began to shift and deepen, as if an invisible hand were sketching them in front of my eyes. A path twisted across the page, slipped through the forest, and stopped at the picture of a castle on a hill.
I stared at it, frowning. There was only one problem.
That castle had never been there before.
Still, the map felt warm in my hands, almost alive. I told myself I was only going to look. Just a quick walk to prove I was wrong.
I hurried into the woods, stepping over roots and ducking under low branches, the map clutched tight in my fist. The deeper I went, the quieter everything became. Even the birds seemed to have vanished. Every crack of a twig behind me made my shoulders jerk.
Then the trees thinned, and I saw it.
A castle rose above the hill, just as the map had promised. Tall stone towers. Dark, ivy-covered walls. A huge wooden gate banded with iron.
I stopped so suddenly my breath caught.
Before I could take another step, the map in my hands burst into blue light. A cold shiver raced up my arms, and a voice slipped out of the air beside me.
'I knew you'd come here one day...'