Outside the window it was raining. The drops tapped on the glass: kap, kap, kap. Hela's room was soft with blankets, smelled of crayons, and on the carpet sat Doughnut, a dachshund, and pretended to be a long, very long wiener. - Steamer, get up! - laughed Olek. - Not wiener, but Pączek - corrected Hela and put a pink ribbon over his ears. - We're doing the Funny Hat Parade! In a few minutes the room turned into a hat maker's workshop. There was a hat made from a pot on the bed, a hat made from a cereal box on a chair, and a turban made from a green polka dot sock hanging on the lamp. Olek made himself a crown out of curtain lace, Hela pinned a feather from a duster brush to her headband, and Pod got a small colander. He looked like a very important cook. - Attention, rehearsal! - announced Hela and set up a chair like a stage. - Here comes Hela in the Big Mop Hat! - she waved her mop like a plume. - And now Olek in the Wind Cap! - she blew on his cheek. - And now me! - barked Pod and... ran off with a green sock on his head. The dachshund with the colander and sock looked so funny that Hela and Olek started laughing so hard that they almost fell off their chairs. Doughnut hid under the sofa. The colander clattered on the floor: knock! Hela and Olek crawled under the furniture. It was dark there, smelled of dust and... strawberries? Two little dustballs were rolling around on the carpet - they looked like fluffy balls and seemed to be giggling quietly. Doughnut blew his nose, the dustballs rolled like balls. - Oh dear... - Olek touched something shiny by the floor rail. - Hela, look! In the very corner, right against the wall, was something they had never seen before. A small, round door, the size of a saucer. Made as if from a piece of old skirting board. Instead of a handle, they had a button. A real, pearl button. Someone had painted tiny letters on the door: "Ding? Please!". - The door? - Hela opened her eyes wide. - In my room? - Dzyń? - Olek repeated. - 'Then I think we need to make a phone call. - Hau? - asked Pod kindly and tapped his nose on the button. The button sounded softly: ding! For a moment, nothing happened. Only the rain whispered outside the window, and the dusters crouched like an audience in a theatre. Suddenly, a thin streak of light escaped from under the door. It smelled of... popcorn? And something sweet, like candyfloss, but probably carrot. - Do you hear that? - Hela put her ear to the carpet. - There's someone playing over there. There was a quiet sound inside: pum, pum, pum - like a tiny drum. Then a trumpet: tru-tu-tu! Pod set his ear and his tail trembled. From behind the door came another sound, just like a whisper through paper: - Ju-ju-ju-we're coming... please... please... - Strange thing - whispered Olek. - Maybe they are dwarves? Or a carrot orchestra? - There's no point in guessing. We have to check," decided Hela. - Operation Button! Olek, the rope! Olek pulled out a skipping rope from the drawer. Hela tied it around her waist and gave the other end to Olek. - If something happens, hold me. And you, Pod, are Tail Torch - she stuck a reflective star-shaped sticker on the dachshund's back. Donut was proud as a peacock and very shiny. Hela tried to turn the button, but it was tiny and slippery. She tried again, then Olek, and then together. The button only rattled: Ding-ding... zzz... And nothing. - Hello? - Hela knocked with her finger. - It's Hela and Olek. We're having a Funny Hat Parade. We also have a dachshund in a colander. It got very quiet on the other side. So quiet that you could hear the chick on the left say to the chick on the right, "Did they really say colander?". And then - trach - a thin piece of paper slid out from under the door, like a strip from a notebook. Hela gently picked it up. On the piece of paper, in tiny letters, was written: "Wait for the sign. We are tuning carrots." - They're tuning carrots? - snorted Olek. - Carrots can be tuned? - Maybe like trumpets,' said Hela. - Carrot trumpets! Gosh, this will be the best parade in the world. They sat down on the carpet and waited. Donut lay down with his head on his paws, but his nose was twitching all the time. From behind the door came the sounds of rustling, gasping, a quiet "la-la-lla" and once even a short laugh: "hi-hi!". The light under the door pulsed like a skylight. - A sign! - Olek jumped up all the way. - Do you see, Hela? The light flashed three times. - 'That's probably the password,' said Hela and grabbed the button again. - On three... One... Two... Before she could say "three", the button moved on its own. At first very tiny. Then more. The door squeaked like a mouse on a fiddle and swung open a hair. A few confetti spilled out - circles of tissue paper in the colours of fruit salad. One landed on Donut's nose. The Dachshund sneezed so loudly in surprise that the door shook and opened a little wider. - I'm sorry," said Doughnut and swished his tail in such a way that a glare star danced across the wall. Behind the door it was like a tunnel of coloured crayons. The walls had dots and stripes and little lights twinkled in the depths. You could hear a lot of tup-tup of very tiny feet. And the trumpet again. This time more clearly. - Attention!" came a low voice, as if spoken by an ant in a hat. - Trumpet test! And... carrots! Five, six, seven! Hela took a deep breath. - Let's go. - I'm holding the rope,' Olek announced, and with intertwined fingers he tightened the cord. - If anything, we'll signal, "Oh dear!" three times. - Woof - nodded Pod and stuck his muzzle into the crack. Something on the other side tickled his whiskers. He made an "apczi!" and again confetti sprinkled like rain. The door vibrated. The light flashed stronger. Hela knelt down to look in, when suddenly the whole carpet beneath them vibrated gently, as if somewhere deep inside someone was trying to move a very tiny carousel. The trumpets trumpeted briefly and cheerfully, and then a silence fell so thick that even the dusters stopped whispering. - 'I think that's the sign,' whispered Olek. - Can you hear it? You can't hear anything. Hela nodded and put her fingers out towards the button. At the same moment there was a quick stomp-stomp-stomp on the other side, as if someone was running up the steps. Someone else coughed very thinly, someone said: "Shh!", and then.... The door opened wide. The smell of freshly baked pancakes and carrot cake wafted from the tunnel. A joyful "Three, two, jee..." rang out from very close by. and something tiny, very shiny, rushed towards them with a ding-a-ding-a-ding sound.