Chapter 9

Holly, Molly and Dolly have another attic mystery to solve. The sisters formed The Attic Investigations Club to find out what happened to their missing parents. They discover a script with very strange looking symbols... perhaps these symbols come from a Voynich manuscript page.

The sisters had always loved exploring the attic of their old house. It was full of dusty books, antique furniture, and mysterious objects that belonged to their parents, who had disappeared five years ago. Their parents were famous historians and archaeologists, who traveled the world in search of ancient secrets and treasures. They had left the sisters in the care of their aunt, who lived nearby, and promised to return soon. But they never did.

The sisters never gave up hope that their parents were still alive somewhere, and that they would find a clue to their whereabouts in the attic. They decided to form The Attic Investigations Club, a secret society dedicated to solving the mysteries of their family heritage. They met every Saturday afternoon in the attic, armed with notebooks, magnifying glasses, and flashlights. They examined every item they could find, looking for hidden messages, codes, or maps.

One day, they stumbled upon a wooden chest that they had never seen before. It was locked with a brass padlock, but they managed to pick it open with a hairpin. Inside, they found a leather-bound book with yellowed pages. The book had no title or author, but it was filled with strange drawings and symbols that looked like nothing they had ever seen before.

"What is this?" Holly asked, holding the book in her hands. She was the oldest sister, 14 years old, with brown hair and green eyes. She was smart and curious, always eager to learn new things.

"It looks like some kind of secret code," Molly said, peering over her shoulder. She was the middle sister, 12 years old, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was adventurous and brave, always ready for a challenge.

"Or maybe it's an alien language," Dolly said, joining them on the floor. She was the youngest sister, 10 years old, with red hair and brown eyes. She was imaginative and playful, always making up stories.

They flipped through the pages of the book, marveling at the bizarre illustrations. They saw pictures of plants that looked like they came from another planet, stars and moons that formed strange patterns in the sky, women bathing in tubes and pools of green liquid, maps of lands that they had never heard of, and jars filled with herbs and roots.

"What do you think it means?" Holly asked.

"I don't know," Molly said. "But maybe we can find out."

"How?" Dolly asked.

"By using the internet," Molly said. "Maybe someone else has seen this book before."

She ran downstairs to get her laptop, while Holly and Dolly stayed in the attic with the book. They tried to decipher some of the symbols, but they made no sense to them.

Molly returned with her laptop and searched for "book with strange symbols". She clicked on the first result that came up: "Voynich manuscript - Wikipedia".

"Look at this," she said, showing them the screen. "It says here that this book is called the Voynich manuscript, and it's one of the most mysterious books in the world."

She read aloud from the article:

"The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown script referred to as 'Voynichese'. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438). Stylistic analysis indicates it may have been composed in Italy during the Italian Renaissance. The origins, authorship, and purpose of the manuscript are debated. Hypotheses suggest that it is a script for a natural language or constructed language; an unread code, cypher, or other form of cryptography; or a meaningless hoax . The manuscript consists of around 240 pages..."

"Wow," Holly said. "This is amazing."

"But how did our parents get it?" Dolly asked.

"Maybe they found it on one of their trips," Molly said.

"Or maybe someone gave it to them," Holly said.

"Or maybe they stole it," Dolly said.

They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Whoever wrote this book must have known something very important," Holly said.

"Or very dangerous," Molly said.

"Or very magical," Dolly said.

They decided to keep the book as their secret project. They vowed to crack its code and reveal its secrets. They hoped that by doing so, they would also find out what happened to their parents.

They spent hours every day studying the book, comparing it with other sources online, trying different methods of decryption, and making notes of their findings. They also noticed that the book had some hidden features, such as foldable pages, invisible ink, and hidden compartments. They discovered that the book was not just a book, but a puzzle, a game, and a treasure map.

They followed the clues in the book, which led them to different places in their town and beyond. They visited libraries, museums, churches, parks, and cemeteries. They met people who knew something about the book, or who had something to do with it. They encountered dangers, mysteries, and surprises along the way.

They also learned more about their parents, and their connection to the book. They found out that their parents were not just historians and archaeologists, but also spies, explorers, and adventurers. They had been working for a secret organization that was dedicated to protecting the world from evil forces that wanted to use the book for their own purposes. They had been on a mission to find the book's original author, who was rumored to be still alive somewhere.

The sisters realized that they were not just solving a mystery, but also continuing their parents' legacy. They felt closer to them than ever before.

They also grew closer to each other, as they shared their discoveries, fears, hopes, and dreams. They became more than sisters, they became friends.

They never gave up on their quest, even when they faced obstacles, dangers, and enemies. They never lost their curiosity, courage, and creativity. They never stopped believing that they would find the truth.

And one day, they did.

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