The Map in the Notebook

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Rowan sat cross-legged on his bedroom floor, surrounded by towers of his grandfather's old notebooks. Rain drummed against the window as he carefully turned yellowed pages filled with sketches of faraway places. His grandfather had been a ship's navigator, sailing to ports Rowan could barely pronounce. "One day," Rowan whispered to himself, tracing a drawing of a lighthouse with his finger, "I'll see these places too." He loved how each notebook smelled like salt and adventure, even after all these years in the attic. His mother called him for dinner, but Rowan couldn't stop reading about storms conquered and new lands discovered.

The next afternoon, Rowan found a notebook he'd never seen before, bound in faded leather with a brass clasp. Inside, his grandfather's handwriting seemed more excited than usual, words rushing across the pages like waves. "Today I met an old sailor who spoke of Turtle Bay," one entry read. "He swears his father found something incredible there, hidden where the three rocks meet the moon's reflection." Rowan's heart beat faster. His grandfather had drawn detailed maps of coastlines and islands, each one more mysterious than the last. At the very back of the notebook, tucked behind the final page, Rowan felt something thick. His fingers found the edge of an old, folded map.