Zoe’s Attic Adventure
Zoe and a friend discover a hidden door in the attic. What waits behind it?
It was raining on the first day of the holidays. Zoe was bored. ‘Why don’t we explore the attic?’ suggested Hugo the hippo. They fetched a torch and climbed the creaky ladder.
The attic was full of old boxes and trunks and dust. A single round window let in a grey light. Zoe sneezed. Hugo giggled. They opened box after box, finding old hats, curtains and a lamp.
‘Wait,’ said Zoe. She tapped the wall behind a tall bookcase. It sounded hollow. She pushed the bookcase aside. There, hidden in the wood, was a tiny, round door, no bigger than a tea tray.
Hugo looked at Zoe. Zoe looked at Hugo. ‘Ready?’ they whispered. Zoe turned the tiny brass handle. The door creaked open slowly. A cool breath of air drifted out, smelling of lavender and old paper.
Inside was a little hidden room. In the middle sat a dusty wooden box. On the lid, in faded gold letters, was a label: ‘For whoever finds this.’ Zoe’s heart thumped. She lifted the lid.
Inside, there was a rocking horse and a letter in curly writing. And a letter from the old keeper. ‘Dear finder,’ it said. ‘I hid these here when I was your age. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Please remember to hide something for the next child.’
Zoe and Hugo read the letter again and again. Then they ran downstairs to show Luca the turtle. Luca smiled with tears in his eyes. ‘I remember that room,’ he said. ‘I put that box there long ago.’
That evening, Zoe wrote a letter of her own. She popped it in the box with a favourite toy, and placed it back behind the bookcase. ‘For whoever finds this,’ she wrote, ‘be curious. And be kind.’
The little lesson
The things people leave for us can teach us something about who they were, and who we can be.
Let’s talk about it
- Would you open the door? Why or why not?
- What would you put in a box for people in the future?
Finish stories to collect Zoe as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Mystery & Detectives stories
Poppy’s Letter Behind the Wall
Poppy and a friend discover a hidden door in the attic. What waits behind it?
Footprints in the Snow, Nora
Strange footprints appear in the snow outside Nora’s door. Whose are they?
Layla Follows the Footprints
Strange footprints appear in the snow outside Layla’s door. Whose are they?
You might also like
Danny’s First Tournament
Danny is playing in her first tennis tournament against a much better opponent.
Max’s Goal That Wasn’t
Max scores a goal that no one saw was wrong. What would you do?
Pearl and the Golden Axe
Pearl drops a tool in the river and is offered something much finer. Will she tell the truth?