The Ruby Hunt

The old cottage

It was pitch black in the woods, with only the dim beams of their flashlights lighting the way ahead. With each step, they couldn't shake the feeling that someone-or something-was following them, but they kept telling themselves it was just the echoes playing tricks on their minds. As they moved closer to the old cottage, the sound of breaking branches made them jump, adding to the suspense. Occasionally, the distant howl of wolves sent shivers down their spines, reminding them just how alone they were out there.
"Here we are," Oliver said, leading the group to the old cottage. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Oliver asked, still not completely on board with the idea.
"Absolutely!" Eddie's enthusiasm was evident in his voice. "Can you imagine how popular we'll be if we find something? The 𝘼𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚 discovered a ghost in the old haunted cottage in the middle of the woods. That's a front-page story right there!" Eddie mimicked reading an invisible headline in the air.
"Ugh, seriously, Eddie? Still with the 'Awesome Five' nonsense? We've told you it's so bad. It's childish enough that I thought you were talking about a cartoon at first," Jade replied, her face twisted in disgust.
"Here we go," Oliver muttered as he opened the wooden door, which, unsurprisingly, was unlocked due to the place's long-standing abandonment. As the door creaked open, everyone leaned in to get a better look inside, anddddd...
It was just as they expected-an old cottage. Nothing more, nothing less. A few broken chairs, some scattered boxes, and, of course, rats and spider webs everywhere, which frightened Peter and disgusted Rose.
"Does anyone else feel like we're NOT supposed to be here?" Peter asked, looking around with a mix of fear and disgust.
"Yeah, me. Now shut up, let's get a closer look," Oliver said, appearing to warm up to the place.
Everyone gravitated towards what interested them most. Rose examined the dusty old books on the bookshelf, probably ones she had already read before. Jade fiddled with the ancient TV in the corner, trying to get it to work, but it was, of course, hopeless. Eddie was drawn to the black boxes on the floor, probably to empty them out.
"Yooo, check this out! I found an old yo-yo!" Eddie cheered, spinning the yellow yo-yo in his hand.
"Eddie, it's really not the time. We have to get out of here," Peter hissed, scanning the room nervously. Eddie rolled his eyes and ignored him, still playing with the yo-yo.
"What. Is. This?!" Rose exclaimed, pulling what looked like a small book-a notebook, perhaps-off the shelf. "It seems like a journal or a diary. Should I open it-" but before Rose could finish, the journal was snatched out of her hands by Jade, who flipped it open.
"Ooooh, fancy. It's cursive, I think. Oh no!" Jade's eyes widened in realization.
"What?" the others asked.
"I don't know how to read cursive," Jade grinned, enjoying their shocked and scared expressions.
"Seriously? Jade, we take cursive classes. Let me read it," Oliver said, stepping up to take the journal from her. He gave himself a moment to read silently while everyone else anxiously watched.
After what felt like hours but were only a few moments, Oliver looked up with a confused expression. "It's a... I think it's like-like someone wrote this during a trip or journey to find something important? I don't know, I haven't read it all yet."
Oliver's words piqued everyone's interest, and they all crowded around him, trying to get a turn to read, grabbing at the journal.
"Guys, guys! We won't figure anything out like this. Let's take it back to the treehouse, and we'll sort through it there, okay?" Oliver suggested, regaining control of the situation.
Everyone nodded in agreement and quietly followed him back to their treehouse, eager to solve the mystery of the journal. Once outside the cottage, Oliver took the lead, his flashlight cutting through the darkness. He kept glancing over his shoulder, making sure the group stayed close and no one was left behind. The path was notorious for creepy stories, and he didn't want anyone straying too far.
Back at the treehouse, everyone settled into their usual spots, waiting for Oliver to start reading the journal aloud.
"I won't read everything, okay? It's too long. I'll just read the important stuff," Oliver announced, flipping through a few pages to find the key parts. He cleared his throat, looked around at his friends, and began.
"I've spent all my life reading about it-the Ruby Island-dreaming of seeing it, so I gathered my crew to start this long journey, risking our lives to help our descendants." Oliver paused. "That's the first real entry. The earlier pages just have some drawings," he explained, before turning a few more pages.
"We're here now, after months at sea, trying to find it. The Ruby Island lays before us, as beautiful as we imagined." Oliver stopped again. "That's the last major entry. In between, it's all about the storms and challenges they faced. But anyway, that's pretty legit, don't you think?" he asked, looking up to find everyone staring at him, jaws dropped.
Eddie was the first to break the stunned silence as he grabbed the journal from Oliver. "Woah, dude! This is like a pirate journal! We should sell it!" he declared, but before he could finish, Rose snatched it back, hugging it tightly.
"No! That's a treasure-it belongs in a museum!" Rose exclaimed, glaring at Eddie.
Jade gave them both a bewildered look. "Guys, seriously? You have this beauty, and you want to get rid of it? Do you know what could happen to us if the journal is telling the truth? Forget the 'Awesome Five found a ghost'-we'll be the 'Awesome Five found a TREASURE!'" Jade's excitement was contagious, and soon everyone's faces lit up with the idea. Well, except for Peter, who had a look of pure shock.
"No, no, and NO! You are NOT doing that! I barely agreed to go to the cottage with you guys, but this-this is a whole new level of madness. Let me ask you something-how are you going to explain this to our parents, huh? You think they'll just agree to let us go treasure hunting?" Peter ranted emotionally, his words briefly quieting everyone down-except for Eddie.
"Easy! They know we go to summer camp every year. We'll just tell them that's what this is-our summer camp. That'll buy us enough time!" Eddie grinned, his enthusiasm sparking excitement in the others once more. All eyes were on Peter, waiting for his reaction, when suddenly, Jade spoke up.
"Done!" she announced, holding up her phone.
Everyone turned to Jade, confused.
"Just texted Mum. She's cool with it-I'm in," she smiled, making the group even more bewildered.
"Wait, what? How did she agree so fast, and how is she even awake at 2 AM?" Eddie asked, eyebrows raised.
"What? She likes to stay up late," Jade shrugged nonchalantly.