Grandma left me one thing: a folded old map. At first it looked like junk. Then I saw the stars — tiny ones, drawn by hand. One marked the playground where I broke my arm at six. One marked the corner where my bike flipped. Every place I'd ever been hurt had a star. But there was one I'd never been: far out at sea, alone in the blue. What happened to me out there that I didn't remember?

Before chasing the sea, I searched Grandma's house. In her attic I found a locked tin box, and the key was taped under her old desk. Inside were letters, all addressed to me, all unsent. The top one was dated the year I was born.

Under the letters was a second map, smaller, with only the sea star on it. On the back was an address for a storage unit across town, and a key taped beside it. I grabbed my coat. Whatever Grandma was hiding, she'd left me a trail to follow.

The storage unit held one thing: a small wooden boat, hand-built, with my name painted on the side. A note was tied to the bow. 'I built this for the day you'd be brave enough to find the sea star. Go see what's waiting. I'll be with you.' I started saving up for the trip.