The Mystery Files: The Journey to find the songbird

Chapter 1: The journey begins

This story begins in the little town of Pran.

In its prime, Pran was a busy travelers paradise where boats where always going in and out of Pran's ports with a variety of exotic spices, gold and rare fabrics from all over the world.

Pran had a market that was open every weekend, The white lion tavern and inn, the school and everything else that you would find in a little seaside town. But all good things have to come to an end and it just so happens that this town's years of wealth and happiness were over quite suddenly.

Unfortunately, Pran was the first town to be affected by the destruction that the conductor would cause and it hit the townspeople hard. Ships stopped coming into port, people stopped visiting and as a result the town suffered. With no people visiting and spending money, the town fell on hard times. Without money the mayor couldn't repair houses when natural disasters happened, he couldn't heal people when they got sick or hurt and he couldn't protect the townspeople from the monsters when they attacked.

Losing all faith in the people that were meant to protect them, the people of Pran still wanted to keep their spirits up, so what do some people do when they are in the middle of an apocalypse? They drink. That's why the tavern is one of the only things that was running really well when this story begins.

The townspeople lived in very closely built houses and were always very friendly to everyone and were always ready to help any of their neighbors to stay as happy as they could so that they could get through their problems together. High community spirit was definitely a thing in this town. However, there was one house that they excluded from this, it was the home of this stories main character. 

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On top of a big hill on the outskirts of town was an old rickety type of house, so old that it was a wonder that it hadn't fallen apart years ago! But to our boy protagonist and his grandmother, it was home.

"Hey, grandma! Tell me the story again! Pleeeease?" The boy looked up at his grandmother sitting in her big armchair with wonder as he sat on the floor cross-legged.

"No joey. I've already told it to you lots of times!"

"Awww but it's such a good one!" The boy pouted.

"I've told you, Joseph, if you want me to read you the story of the musicians then you have to go to the market and get things for dinner tonight," the old woman told her younger grandson with a teasing smirk.

"Why do I have to go!" the boy said angrily with a scowl but straight after his face dropped into a sad frown "I can hardly buy anything without more money, not to mention everyone avoids me like I have got a bad disease or something!"

His grandmother grabbed him by the shoulders "Joseph Townsend! Don't listen to those people! You have not got a disease, you've just got a very unique skill that's all! Don't let anyone let you tell you anything different!"

This made the boy feel a bit better "Thanks, grandma!" He hugged his grandmother "what was it that you wanted? Meat, bread, potatoes and milk?"

The old woman chuckled "yes please!" 

Just before the boy walked out the door his grandmother shouted "Oh and don't forget your coat!" 

The boy chuckled, grabbed his navy blue body warmer off the coat rack near the door and set off for the market.

"Bye, grandma!" He opened the door and shut it behind him with just enough force that it made his grandmothers statues on the fireplace rattle a bit.