Every great mystery begins with a question. In the Raven Room, the answers are rarely where you expect them.
Somewhere within the winding corridors of The Scunnered Lady Retreat lies a room unlike any other.
Its walls are lined with curious books, strange portraits and shelves of peculiar objects. An old grandfather clock ticks in the corner, although nobody can remember the last time anyone wound it. A brass telescope points towards the mountains, and an enormous wooden desk is covered in maps, notebooks and mysterious little envelopes.
Above the fireplace hangs a painting of a raven.
Some visitors insist its eyes follow them around the room.
Grayson, the retreat’s ever-dignified butler, maintains that this is perfectly normal.
He also maintains that the grandfather clock has never struck thirteen.
Nobody believes him.
Welcome to the Raven Room.
Meet Morvern Moon
Every room needs someone to look after it, and the Raven Room belongs to Morvern Moon, a young investigator with an extraordinary imagination and a remarkable talent for finding trouble.
Morvern is curious, clever and occasionally rather too enthusiastic about investigating things that sensible people would leave well alone.
Where other people see an ordinary locked cupboard, Morvern sees a mystery.
Where others hear a strange noise in the attic, she reaches for her torch.
And where Grayson sees a perfectly respectable household that ought to be running smoothly, Morvern sees approximately seventeen unanswered questions.
She believes that almost everything has an explanation.
Finding it, however, is another matter entirely.
A Retreat Full of Secrets
The Scunnered Lady Retreat is not an ordinary house.
For one thing, its corridors occasionally seem longer than they were yesterday.
For another, nobody has satisfactorily explained why certain doors remain locked or why a particular portrait appears to have been moved whenever nobody is looking.
Then there are the residents.
Grayson, the butler, knows considerably more than he lets on. He is exceptionally good at keeping secrets, although his expression occasionally gives him away.
Dougal McShoogal, the resident Westie, has a remarkable nose for trouble and an unfortunate habit of running off with important evidence.
The Cat prefers to observe proceedings from a comfortable distance, usually with an expression suggesting that everyone else is an idiot.
And Rab the Gab McSquawk, the retreat’s exceptionally talkative parrot, is perfectly capable of repeating a conversation at the most inconvenient moment.
Somewhere amongst all this organised chaos, Morvern has her work cut out.
Could You Be a Detective?
You don’t need a fancy hat, a secret badge or an expensive magnifying glass to become a good detective.
You need curiosity, patience and the ability to notice things other people overlook.
Imagine walking into the Raven Room one morning and discovering three peculiar things.
- A muddy footprint beside the fireplace.
- An open window, despite the freezing weather outside.
- A handwritten note containing just four words: Look beneath the clock.
What would you investigate first?
Would you examine the footprint? Check whether anyone had opened the window? Or head straight for the grandfather clock?
There isn’t always one obvious place to begin.
A good detective gathers evidence before jumping to conclusions.
And remember, the most suspicious-looking person isn’t necessarily the guilty one.
Particularly when that person is Grayson.
He always looks suspicious.
It’s simply his face.
Mysteries, Adventures and Unexpected Discoveries
The Raven Room is a place for young minds that enjoy asking questions.
Here, we’ll explore mysterious happenings, curious historical discoveries, fascinating legends and strange puzzles.
Some adventures will take place within the retreat itself. Others will lead us across Scotland and far beyond, discovering remarkable places and stories from the real world.
We’ll investigate unexplained events, uncover surprising facts and learn how to distinguish a convincing story from genuine evidence.
Not every mystery involves a crime.
Sometimes the greatest mysteries are hidden in nature, science, history or the stars above our heads.
And sometimes a mystery begins with something as ordinary as a missing biscuit.
Although, in this particular house, the biscuit investigation would almost certainly lead to Dougal.
Morvern Moon’s Mysteries
Of course, the Raven Room has another purpose.
It’s the home of Morvern Moon’s Mysteries, a collection of animated adventures where young viewers can become part of the investigation.
Each story will present a curious situation, a collection of clues and a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Rather than simply watching the mystery unfold, you’ll be encouraged to think alongside Morvern.
Can you spot something she missed?
Can you identify a misleading clue?
Can you work out what happened before the final explanation?
Some mysteries will be funny. Others will be wonderfully strange. A few might be just spooky enough to make you check behind the curtains.
But the aim is always the same: to entertain, encourage curiosity and show that clever thinking can be a wonderful adventure.
The First Rule of the Raven Room
Before you begin exploring, there is one important rule.
Never assume that something is true simply because somebody says it is.
Ask questions.
Look for evidence.
Consider other explanations.
And don’t be afraid to change your mind when you discover something new.
That’s what good investigators do.
Oh, and one more thing.
If you discover a mysterious locked door, don’t go exploring somewhere unsafe. Leave real-world dangers to responsible adults. There are quite enough imaginary secret passages to investigate here.
Your Invitation Awaits
The Raven Room is open to everyone with an adventurous imagination.
Whether you enjoy solving riddles, reading detective stories, discovering unusual facts or following Morvern on her latest escapade, there’s always something new waiting to be uncovered.
So pull up a chair, open your notebook and sharpen your pencil.
Morvern has just discovered a small silver key beneath the grandfather clock.
Grayson insists he has never seen it before.
Rab claims he knows exactly what it opens.
And Dougal has disappeared with the envelope that was lying beside it.
The mystery, it seems, has already begun.
Welcome to the Raven Room. Keep your eyes open. Nothing is quite as ordinary as it appears.
The Scunnered Lady Retreat
For the fed up, the curious and everyone in between.