The Keys to freedom

All signs point to west

The five of them gathered around a large oak table in the dimly lit attic of James and Oz's house. The room smelled of old wood and forgotten history, a fitting atmosphere for what they were about to embark on.

Laid out before them were scraps of old parchments, maps, a compass, the brass key, and the letter containing the clue.

James drummed his fingers on the table, his brow furrowed in concentration, his black eye and busted lip swelling under the light above them. "Alright, so, 'all signs point west.' What does that even mean? We've been staring at this thing for hours, and we're not any closer to figuring it out."

Grayson, sporting his own black eye and busted lip, leans back in his chair with his feet up on the table, flicking a piece of paper in the air lazily. "Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? We head west. Follow the sun, take the scenic route, enjoy the adventure."

Jessper rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "We can't just start wandering west, we need a plan,"

Oz was leaning over the maps, her fingers tracing the faded lines and routes. "If it was that easy, someone would've found the treasure years ago."

"Well, no one's ever actually seen this clue before, right? Other than your dad, I mean," Jessper said, leaning forward with a thoughtful frown. "He cracked the first one, which led him to this, so maybe the rest of the clues aren't meant to be as tough as the first."

"Let's hope not," James replied, crossing his arms. "Still, I don't think any treasure hunt is supposed to be easy.

Eric, who had been quiet for most of the conversation, leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Maybe we're thinking too literally," he said thoughtfully. "What if 'west' doesn't mean the direction? It could be symbolic. What if 'west' refers to something else? A name? A landmark?"

They all fell silent, considering the idea.

"That's not a bad point," James said, nodding slowly. "There could be something we're missing—something we haven't considered yet."

Grayson dropped his feet from the table and sat up, suddenly interested. "Like what? What do we know?"

"West can mean a lot of things," Oz said, her mind racing. "It could be something historical, like the Westward Expansion. Or it could refer to a local landmark. Isn't there a place around here called West Point?"

Jessper shook her head. "West Point is a military academy. I doubt that's it, it would be too obvious, right?"

"What about the western shore of the island?" Eric suggested. "The island has a west coast. Maybe we need to start there—look for a sign pointing us in the right direction?"

Oz nodded. "That makes sense. But even if we do head to the western side of the island, there's a lot of ground to cover. We'll need something more specific."

James, who had been pacing around the room, stopped suddenly and snapped his fingers. "Wait! What if it's something local? Like an old landmark no one pays attention to anymore. We've grown up here, but I'm sure there are plenty of places people don't think about—hidden in plain sight."

Grayson grinned, leaning in. "So, we need to figure out if there are any local legends or forgotten spots around the western part of the island. Something that could've been overlooked."

Jessper pulled out her phone, scrolling quickly. "There's this old lighthouse on the western shore—West Chop Lighthouse. It's been around forever, but it's not really a tourist spot anymore. Could that be it?"

Oz's eyes lit up. "A lighthouse... Signs point west. A lighthouse is literally a giant sign, pointing sailors in the right direction."

Eric stood up, excitement sparking in his eyes. "It makes sense. The lighthouse would be the perfect place to hide something people might not think to check because it's been abandoned."

James nodded, a look of determination settling on his face. "Alright. That's our next move then. We head to West Chop Lighthouse and see if there's anything there."

The group stood, their mood lifting as they finally had a solid plan.

But Jessper, hesitated for a moment. "Before we get too ahead of ourselves...What if someone else is following the same clues and they're ahead of us?"

The room grew quiet. They had all considered it but hadn't spoken it aloud. Whoever had stolen the key from their father had gone to great lengths—and those same people might be watching them now.

"We'll just have to be careful. Alert," James said, breaking the silence. "We know we're not the only ones looking for this treasure." He turned to Oz. "But we're going to finish what Dad started."

She nodded in agreement.

Grayson grinned, already halfway to the door. "Careful? Sure. But also make sure we find it first."

The group gathered their things quickly, tucking the map and clue safely into Oz's backpack. As they made their way downstairs and out into the darkened night, The clock was ticking, and they knew they had to stay ahead of whoever else might be hunting for the same treasure.

As they piled into James's beat-up Truck and set off toward the western coast of Martha's Vineyard, whatever waited for them at West Chop Lighthouse, they knew was just the beginning of their treacherous quest.