The boy stood in the empty hallway of his new house. A whisper drifted from the wall — help…
One hand on the doorframe, he pressed his ear to the cold wall. The whisper came again — help…
He opened a closet door — coats and shoes stared back. The whisper came from upstairs.
At the top of the stairs, a floorboard creaked. He followed it to a dusty attic door and found a brass key.
The key turned with a click. Inside, a small shimmering ghost floated near an old trunk.
"I lost my treasure," whispered the ghost. "We'll find it together," said the boy, nodding.
They searched through books and boxes. The boy's fingers found something tucked inside a sea shell.
He unrolled the map and saw a drawing of the garden — his eyes widened.
The ghost clapped its hands — a sound like wind chimes. "Yes! That's where I hid it!"
In the garden, sunlight dappled the old oak tree. The boy dug carefully with a small trowel.
His trowel hit something small and wooden. He pulled it from the soil.
Inside the box sat a tiny music box. The ghost floated close, smiling. The moon rose over the old oak.