Chapter 1: The Strange Parcel

It all began one stormy Thursday evening, when the rain battered against the windows of Maple Street like a thousand tiny drums. Josh Taylor – who had been feeling restless all day – was slumped on the battered leather sofa, flicking through an old comic book. His little sister, Emily, was sprawled across the carpet, constructing a precarious tower of playing cards that wobbled dangerously every time the wind howled through the cracks in the door.
Without warning, there was a sharp knock at the door: three quick raps, followed by an eerie silence.

Josh leapt up, almost tripping over Emily’s carefully balanced tower. "Who knocks at this time?" he whispered, feeling a prickling sensation at the back of his neck.
Their mum – who was usually quick to answer – didn’t seem to hear. She was upstairs, probably trying to fix the ancient boiler, which had been groaning like a grumpy giant all afternoon. Josh and Emily exchanged a nervous glance; although neither of them said it aloud, both knew something felt... odd.
Josh pulled open the door cautiously, peering out into the rain-soaked night. No one was there. Only a small, soggy parcel sat on the doorstep, tied with a piece of fraying string.
"It's got your name on it," Emily pointed out, squinting at the dripping label.
Sure enough, printed in shaky, old-fashioned handwriting were the words: Josh Taylor – URGENT.

Feeling a mixture of excitement and fear, Josh picked up the parcel. It was surprisingly heavy for something so small, and whatever was inside seemed to shift with a soft clinking sound as he moved it.

Inside, tucked beneath layers of tissue paper (which smelt faintly of tobacco and sea-salt), lay a faded, leather-bound map. Strange symbols and intricate drawings covered every inch of it; mountains that twisted like snakes, forests marked with tiny skulls, and rivers that seemed to shimmer even though the map was completely dry. In the corner, written in tiny, crabbed letters, were the words: Follow the trail before midnight – or lose it forever.
Josh's heart pounded.

"We have to tell Mum," Emily said, her voice wobbling slightly.
Josh shook his head firmly. "No way! She’ll just take it away. This is... important." He hesitated, then added, "Besides, if we don't follow it before midnight, it might disappear."
Emily frowned. "But where do we even start?"
Before Josh could answer, the map began to glow faintly, and a thin line of blue light stretched out from the centre, leading across the carpet, up the stairs, and – incredibly – straight through the ceiling.

Josh and Emily stared at each other, wide-eyed.
"This," said Josh, grinning despite the butterflies in his stomach, "is going to be epic."
Without another word, they grabbed their coats, shoved the map into Josh’s backpack, and – after scrawling a quick note for Mum (just in case they didn’t make it back by breakfast) – slipped out into the night.

The case of the midnight map had officially begun