Captain Owl's Lost Compass

Julka has always loved discovering mysteries. Her younger brother Philip never left her side, especially on the day they ventured out into the backyard to investigate a forgotten tree house. It stood high on a thick oak tree in the midst of an old, quiet forest that they hadn't visited for several months. "Do you think there's still anything left there?" - Philip asked, looking at the loose steps. "Definitely!" - replied Julka, already climbing the ladder. Inside, it was cool and smelled of moss. In the corner lay a box they had never seen before. Philip bravely opened it, and inside lay an old compass. It was decorated with an engraved owl and glittered in the sunlight. When Julka touched the pointer, the compass suddenly shuddered and stopped at north. Suddenly, an indistinct shadow appeared on the cottage wall - as if someone was standing there! Julka squeezed the compass and Philip looked at her with terrified eyes. "Do you hear that?" - he whispered. From deep in the forest came their quiet, rhythmic clatter, as if someone was tapping the ground with a stick. The compass flashed a soft light and the pointer began to spin faster and faster. Julka looked at her brother. Without a word, they set off after the flickering pointer, which led them deeper into the forest, where the trees seemed to whisper in their own language. The further they walked, the stranger things they found: stones arranged in the shape of arrows, an abandoned telescope and even a fragment of a map with a barely visible inscription: "Only the brave will find the truth". Then they came to a clearing where a small iron box was stuck in the ground. As they bent down to open it, the forest fell silent and the crackle of a broken branch sounded just behind them....