The Compass Petal — The small star blooming between the skull’s eyes sits like an ornament, yet Serafina knew it was the compass her grandmother had hidden in plain sight. Read the full story →
The small star blooming between the skull’s eyes sits like an ornament, yet Serafina knew it was the compass her grandmother had hidden in plain sight.
At the height of the midnight rush, the star flashed once, and every curled vine around the skull seemed to lean toward the same direction. Serafina followed its signal through the ring of daisies, racing past the flowered eye sockets and the heart-shaped nose that guarded the center path. Can you find the tiny star above the nose? That is the compass petal, and it only points when the moon drums are loud enough.
The thick black circle around the skull became her map’s outer road, looping through marigold arches, pointed leaves, and little bead-like dots. She needed to reach the bottom flower before the music stopped, because the old compass had once led her grandmother safely home from the lantern parade. Look for the large daisy at the very bottom of the border—that was Serafina’s finish line. When the star brightened a second time, even the neat row of teeth looked ready to cheer, and she sprang through the last swirl just as the petals opened.
