“So, Max, what do you think? Should we really just take off? Without much fuss, without a plan?” Lena nervously rummaged through her half-open backpack, which was more or less wildly filled with clothes, a pocket knife, and a crumpled map.
Max grinned broadly, leaned back relaxedly, and threw a pair of jeans on the floor. “Why not? We’re young, free, and have the perfect excuse: ‘We’re exploring the world!’” He winked at her. “Besides – when, if not now?”
Lena sighed as she tried to squeeze her hiking boots into the backpack. “That all sounds great, but do you actually have any idea where we want to go? South America? Asia? Or maybe Europe?”
Max shrugged. “I thought we’d decide spontaneously. No fixed destinations. Just go where we like.”
“Spontaneous sounds cool, but I don’t want to fly back after three days because we had no plan.” Lena shook her head. “Besides, you have no idea how much stuff you need for a trip like this. I mean, look at this!” She pulled out an oversized packing list she had prepared on her laptop.
“Wow, you’re really prepared. I just packed my old T-shirts and the camera.” Max grinned and proudly showed his backpack, which looked more like a chaotic mess.
“Of course, I don’t want to end up in Siberia with just one pair of pants and sandals.” Lena rolled her eyes. “But seriously, we really should agree on a travel destination. Otherwise, this will just end in endless back and forth.”
Max sat down on the floor, pulled out his smartphone, and opened a map on Google Maps. “Okay, how about Asia? Thailand, Vietnam, something like that. Cheap, delicious food, adventure.”
“Too crowded, too touristy. I want something quieter. How about New Zealand? Pure nature, no crowds.” Lena showed a photo of snow-covered mountains on her screen.
“New Zealand? You need half a month just to get from A to B there.” Max laughed. “And we only have three weeks.”
“Three weeks, four weeks, who knows! The main thing is we experience something.” Lena glared at him. “What about South America? Peru, Machu Picchu? Or Brazil, beach and party?”
Max shook his head. “I don’t want a party, I want something real. How about Iceland? Glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs?”
“Iceland? In summer? Brrr, you’ll freeze your butt off!” Lena made a face. “Besides, that’s going to be expensive.”
“Okay, okay, enough discussion.” Max stood up and went to the window. “What if we just close our eyes and tap a finger on the map? Wherever the finger lands, that’s where we go.”
Lena suddenly grinned. “That’s actually a cool idea. Let’s do it.” She fetched a large, old world map from the shelf and spread it out on the floor.
“Okay, eyes closed, finger down.” Max closed his eyes and lowered his hand.
“And? Where is it?” Lena leaned forward to see.
Max’s finger lay right in a small, unknown spot on the map, somewhere between Europe and Asia, near the Black Sea. “Huh? Where is that anyway?”
Lena frowned and leaned closer. “No idea. Looks like some tiny village or something.”
Suddenly Max’s gaze fell on a small corner of the map that was peeking out from under a stack of books. “Wait, what’s that?” He pulled the map out and discovered underneath a yellowed, hand-drawn map that looked completely different – with strange symbols, small drawings of mountains, rivers, and a mysterious red marking.
“Where did you get that from?” Lena asked, her voice suddenly quieter, almost reverent.
Max shrugged. “No idea. It was just under the stack of books. Looks like it’s old.”
Lena carefully took the map in her hand and examined the red markings. “That could be our destination. Or at least the beginning.”
Max grinned broadly. “Well, then we know where we’re headed. Spontaneous was yesterday, now it’s getting mysterious.”
They looked at each other, excitement rising. The world lay before them, and suddenly this yellowed map was the key to an adventure they never could have dreamed of.
But before they could look closer, they heard a soft rustling from the hallway. Someone was in the house – and it wasn’t their roommate.