Hania lived on the third floor, in a block of flats with a balcony that smelled of strawberries from the market in summer and warm bread from the corner bakery in winter. It was raining fine that morning. The drops danced on the windowsill like beads. The kitchen was bright and cosy. Mum was frying pancakes and Almond the cat was curling his tail under the table. Hania was sitting on a chair stirring cocoa. The teaspoon crunched against the rim of the cup until suddenly... it trembled. It trembled as gently as if someone had blown into it from above. - Do you hear that? - Hania leaned over, but Mum was just turning the pancake over, so she just nodded to the pan. The spoon trembled again. This time not like metal, but like... a little wind. She muttered quietly until the cocoa made a whirlpool inside, spinning like a small galaxy. Something white shimmered on the surface of the vortex - like a feather of a cloud. Hania pressed her ear to the cup. The vortex was whispering. Not words, but a melody she knew from the backyard: a ding-ding like the bell of Mr Stasio's bicycle, which delivers buns. Just where did the bike in the cup come from? Almond jumped up on the chair next to her and stretched out his paw to the spoon. He nudged it and the spoon rumbled against the tabletop and rolled, straight onto the checked napkin. It stopped on the edge and... left a wet mark. Not round. A little like a line, and then a second, shorter one. Hania pushed the cup away. The marks were arranged in a sort of arrow, pointing towards the window. - Mum, can I open the curtain? - She asked. - 'You can, just watch out for the flowerpots,' replied Mum, without taking her eyes off the pancakes. The curtain was navy blue with white dots. Usually it hung quietly, but today it waved, even though the window was closed. It was as if someone on the other side was drawing invisible waves on it. Hania slid her fingers into the fabric. It was warm, like after the sun, although the sky was all in clouds. There were pots under the windowsill: basil, mint and a small succulent with a name on it. Hania named it Flap because it had leaves like short tongues. Floppy leaned over slightly, as if he wanted to see something. The teaspoon murmured again, this time no longer quietly. Almond set his ears, and more wet lines appeared on the napkin, like notes. A ding-ding, a pump and a pause. Hania felt that this was no accident. She stood up. A board, which they called the Fiddler, squeaked quietly under the floor. It always played when someone set foot there. Hania walked over quietly, so as not to wake him, and stood by the window. The curtain twitched and snagged her fingers. The material was as soft as a feather. And then, just inside the slat, something clicked. So tiny that only she heard it. - Almond, did you hear it? - she whispered. The cat slipped its head down under the windowsill and snorted curiously. It smelled of wet dust and basil there. Hania crouched down. There was a narrow space between the wall and the radiator where blocks usually disappeared. Now, however, something bright flashed in it. She reached out her hand, but did not touch it immediately. She looked at it first. The bright dot was not a dot. It was a tiny little circle. And the circle... looked like a doorknob, the kind to press with two fingers. Hania pressed her lips together and counted to three in her mind. Her heart was doing a hop-hop and the spoon was still purring its bicycle tune. - Hania, I'm spreading jam on the pancakes! - called out from the kitchen. - Wait! - replied Hania, not taking her eyes off the bright button. The curtain rippled once more, like the sea in a teacup. The raindrops on the glass formed two short tails and one longer line. Hania felt that this rhythm was important. Almond stuck his nose to the narrow crevice and murmured as much as a teaspoon, as if confirming. Hania inched closer. The cool windowsill touched her knees. She carefully slid two fingers between the ribs of the radiator. The button was as warm as a pebble from the beach tucked in her pocket. At that moment, a spoon clattered against a plate from the kitchen, and a quiet ... knock sounded in the wall right in front of Hania. The little girl held her breath. The second knock was a tad louder. The third resembled a small laugh, as if someone on the other side was trying not to screech. - Hello? - whispered Hania to the button. Almond moved his moustache and looked at her with round eyes. The cloud spoon trembled in the cup so that the whirlpool of cocoa flicked again. The curtain swung back of its own accord, and three brighter dots popped up on the dark blue fabric, lined up exactly where the window sill ended. Hania closed her eyes for a second, slid her thumb and forefinger over the bright button and