Ella walked down the dark, narrow passage that led to the secret library. Dust hung thickly throughout the air, making it difficult to breathe. At the end of the passage was the library door. She pressed her shoulder against the heavy wooden door until it creaked open. Behind the door, an ancient room stretched before her, filled with towering bookshelves. There was an old coat rack near the door that still had a hat on it.

She had found this place because of a mysterious map left in her grandmother’s attic. The map was from the war days. It seemed to be a map concerning hidden passages. These hidden passages led to hiding places for when the soldiers came.
At the center of the room stood a pedestal, illuminated by a single beam of light from a crack in the ceiling. A leather-bound book lay under a glass dome, its cover embossed with strange symbols she couldn’t yet decipher.