Mollie's Journey into Adventure A Strange Passenger

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Chapter 2: A Strange Passenger
The bus bumped through a no-man's-land of pale fields and sleeping trees. It was silent inside—just the hum of the engine, the faint creak of the seats, the gentle jolt as the bus rolled over a bump. Mollie sat by the window, watching the world outside slowly pass by like a yellowed film strip.
He was alone. He thought.
But when the bus stopped at a place that didn't appear on any map—no town, no village, no light, no sign—someone got on. Slowly, deliberately, almost silently. A figure wrapped in a much too large coat, with a hat pulled low over his face.
Mollie sensed someone there more than saw it.
The door closed, and the bus started moving again. The new passenger took a seat opposite, pushed his hat aside a little—and two old, wise eyes flashed out. Green as moss and full of stories.
It was a turtle.
It wore a wide, dark coat that seemed a little too big on the shoulders, but fell with dignity. Its shell shone dully beneath the fabric, and in its lap it held a rolled-up map, made of parchment perhaps, or something much older.
"Where to?" Mollie asked.
The turtle slowly raised its eyes. Its face was wrinkled like the bark of an old tree, its voice deep and warm.
"Not where. But why."
Mollie frowned. "And why?"
"Because you're wanted without knowing it." She smiled slightly. "Some journeys don't begin with a destination, but with a question."
Then she said nothing more. And neither did Mollie. The bus rolled on, deeper into a strange land. And between them, on the seat, lay the map, as if waiting for a moment that had yet to come.