The Map in the Box

Tom is nine years old. He is a boy with big eyes. He lives in a small town. One day he finds a box. The box is in the attic. The box is old and brown.

Tom opens the box. Inside is a paper. It is a map. The map shows a forest. There is a red X on the map. Tom feels excited.

“I will find the X,” Tom says.

He takes a backpack. He puts in water and bread. He takes a flashlight. He leaves his house and walks to the forest.

The forest is dark. The trees are tall. Birds fly up. A rabbit runs past. Tom follows the map.

Soon Tom comes to a river. The river is wide. The water is fast. There is a bridge. But the bridge is broken.

Tom looks around. He sees a big log. He pushes the log to the river. The log makes a path. Tom walks slowly across the log. The water is loud. His foot slips. He almost falls in.

“Be brave,” Tom says. He keeps going. At last he is safe on the other side.

Tom walks more. He sees a cave. The map says the X is inside. Tom steps into the cave. It is cold. It is dark. He uses his flashlight.

Suddenly, he hears a growl. A shadow moves. It is a wolf! The wolf has yellow eyes. It stands in front of Tom.

Tom is scared. His hands shake. He looks at the ground. He sees bread in his bag. He takes the bread. He throws the bread far away.

The wolf runs after the bread. Tom runs the other way. He runs deeper into the cave.

Inside the cave, Tom sees a big rock. On the rock is a small chest. The chest is locked. Tom sees a riddle written on the wall:

“I have keys but no door. I make music but I am not a man. What am I?”

Tom thinks hard. “Keys… music…” He remembers his piano at home.

“The answer is piano!” Tom says.

The chest clicks. It opens. Inside are shiny stones and a silver coin. Tom smiles. He puts the coin in his pocket.

But when Tom turns, he cannot see the way back. The cave is like a maze. He walks left. It is wrong. He walks right. It is a wall. He feels afraid again.

He stops. He listens. He hears water. He follows the sound. He finds a small tunnel. He crawls through. At last he is outside.

The sun is low. The forest is orange with light. Tom walks home. He feels tired but proud.

At home, Tom shows the coin to his mom. She hugs him.

“You are brave,” she says.

Tom smiles. “It was a big adventure. And I did not give up.”