Vian lifted the lid of his toy box. A soft golden light spilled out, painting stripes across the carpet. He gasped as a paper map floated up and landed in his hands.
The glowing lines on the map pulled him forward. Vian followed the golden path through the living room, his eyes wide with wonder.
The path led to a mountain of cushions. Vian giggled and traced the bright lines with his finger, then braced himself to climb the soft, bumpy hill.
Vian scrambled over the pillow mountain. A soft boing echoed from underneath, followed by a gentle shhh sound. He froze.
A tiny silver toy bird hopped out and fluttered onto his shoulder. Its wings made a tickle-tickle sound against his neck.
The map pulled Vian toward the dark hallway at the end of the living room. Shadows pooled on the floor, and the paper trembled in his grip.
He took one step forward, then another. His small socks whispered against the wood. Suddenly the shadows swirled and formed a giggling shape that danced away.
Vian followed the dancing shadow to the end of the hall. It paused, did a little spin, and then vanished into a crack under the door.
Vian walked back through the living room and dropped the now-dim map into his toy box. He closed the lid with a soft click.
He grinned and patted the wooden top. The toy bird hopped down from the box and settled quietly on the shelf. Vian waved goodnight to the dark hallway.