At the end of Chamomile Street stood a shop so narrow that it looked as if someone had slipped it between two tenements like an overlap. There were pennants with stars hanging on the window, and globes spun inside, as if dancing slowly in a circle. It smelled of ink, old paper and something else that resembled orange peel. Lila and Kacper were holding hands. Lila had a star-shaped key ring in her pocket that glowed when you clicked it. Kacper was carrying a backpack with a zebra on the lock. They looked up at the shelves, where rolls and maps stood out, undulating like the ridges of a rough lake. Behind the counter stood Mr Globek. He wore round glasses and a tie with little compasses. He smiled as if he had just remembered a song he hadn't sung in a long time. - Are you looking for the road? - He asked cheerfully. - Or do you want to find the road that is looking for you? Lila raised her eyebrows. Kacper wrinkled his nose. - 'We're just looking,' Lila said. - We love maps. - Maps like it when you look at them - admitted Mr Globek. - They also like it when someone listens to them rustle. It's their whispering. You just have to be very quiet. In the depths of the shop something rustled quietly. Lila turned her head. She saw a drawer with a blue glass drop-shaped knob. On a small brass plate was written: Marine Special Department. - 'Oh, this drawer sometimes calls out on its own,' muttered Mr Globek, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. - 'You can look in, just gently. I'll bring the wrapping paper right away. Mr Globek disappeared into the back room, and the shop became even quieter. Even the globes stopped spinning as if they were listening. Lila and Kacper walked over to the drawer. The knob was cool. Lila pulled lightly and the drawer slid out noiselessly. Inside lay a large map on thick, cream-coloured paper. In the middle of the map a blue lake glittered. The shores were drawn in green lines, and where the water transitioned to white, someone had added in small letters: This is where the shores end. - Why do the shores end? - Kacper whispered. - 'Maybe there's no land further on,' whispered Lila, and her eyes got big. - 'Or there's something that no one has drawn yet. Suddenly Lila felt a gentle breeze on her cheek. It smelled of wet pebbles and pine needles after the rain. Something moved on the map, as if someone had brushed water with the back of their hand. Circles spread across the blue patch. A tiny paper boat trembled on the lake. It was not drawn. It was real. It flashed on a wave and swam away, leaving a thin silver streak behind. - Did you see! - Kacper squatted down in awe. - I can see... And I can hear - Lila tilted her ear. The map hummed quietly, like a seashell put to her ear. A whisper that sounded like their names glided from shore to shore. The pennants at the window fluttered, though no doors opened. The globes began to turn again, but more slowly, each in its own direction. The light in the shop was soft, like a summer afternoon, though rain was sprinkling outside. - Look - Kacper touched the corner of the map. The paper vibrated. It no longer seemed flat. The lines that marked the paths in the forest rose a little, forming hills, and the dashes on the water undulated as if alive. On the left bank of the lake, just off the dock, something that had previously been just a speck was clearly visible. Lila felt her heart make a leap in her stomach. It was a door. Blue. Drawn with a thin line, but now they looked like the real thing. M had a tiny silver handle in the shape of a seed. A drop of water glittered on the handle. - 'The doorknob is wet,' said Lila, puzzled, as her fingers were now cool and damp. - 'I think it's from the lake. A sound came from behind the door, as if someone had tapped a finger on a wooden board. One, two, three. Gently. Then a whisper again, this time warmer, like the wind in the grass. - Lila... Kacper... - seemed to speak the very air. Kacper swallowed his saliva, but not from fear. More from the fact that he felt a tickle in his stomach, like before a great adventure. - It's up to us,' he whispered. - We need to get ready. Lila clicked her key ring. The star twinkled brightly. The light was small, but in the centre of the map it shone strongly, as if the stars were closer there. - Ready - she nodded. - Hold my hand. They gripped each other tightly. Lila held the map and Kacper carefully slid a finger under the edge. The paper was springy, as warm as the skin of a thick book held for a long time. The map floated up, as if it wanted to unfold itself. They slid it down onto the counter and then onto the floor. When it touched the boards, it spread wide and wider until it covered almost the entire shop floorboards. The drawn lake murmured louder, and somewhere on the other shelves a fine dust scattered, shimmering like sunbeams in water. Mr Globek had not yet returned. The rustling of paper and his humming could be heard from the back room. Lila set foot on the map. It did not sink in. A thin blue wave bent under her foot and she stepped back, as if making room. Kacper stepped behind her. The shoreline, drawn in pencil, turned into a soft, sandy line. Not a crumb of sand fell from their shoes, but they could feel the grains under their soles, like the real thing. The blue door was now right in front of them. It had wood grain and breathed quietly, as if it were listening to itself. The seed-shaped handle was cold, and then, when Lila touched it a second time, it became warm and pulsed slightly. - Shall we knock? - Kacper asked, and his voice was a whisper. - 'Let's listen first,' replied Lila. They pressed their ears to the boards. There were lots of sounds on the other side, but very distant. Bells. A noise that was not rain. Quiet thuds, like the leaps of little feet. And singing that sounded as if someone was painting the sky with notes. - Lila! Kacper! - the voice rang out more clearly now, though still softly. - Don't be late. The waves are already counting to ten. Lila looked at Kacper. Kacper looked at Lila. They both had eyes as round as buttons. - 'We're going in together,' Lila said. - On the count of three. - Once - Kacper squeezed her hand. - Two - the star on the key ring shone in the shop, as if answering. - Three - Lila pressed the door handle. The door trembled and swung open a finger's width. A breeze gushed from their gap and smelled of pine needles, cinnamon and something sweet, like freshly baked buns. A ripple rolled across the blue water of the lake, and a paper boat jumped up and flashed quickly, as if to wave to them. Something on the other side scrambled, something knocked, something approached with a quick trot. Then the door swung open wider, the air in the shop whirred, and a shadow so luminous it looked like a light in the shape of wings flew over the lake. Kacper drew in a breath, Lila picked up the torch, and a louder stomping sounded from beyond the threshold, closer and closer....