It was raining so thickly that the drops drummed against the glass like little fingers. At Grandma Hela's it smelled of cocoa and apple pie, and there were wellies standing in a row in the hallway like soldiers on guard duty. Zosia hugged her cheek to the cold glass and sighed. - 'It's a pity you can't go out,' muttered Staś, poking the cat Peas. Pea was all brindle, moustached and proud. He meowed, as if to say: "Then let's go somewhere else". - Grandma, can we go to the attic? - Zosia asked. - 'Just watch your heads and don't climb on the high stool,' replied Grandma Hela, handing them a small torch. - And leave the door ajar. The attic was at the end of the corridor. The stairs creaked merrily: skrip, skrip, skrip. When Zosia pulled the string from the lamp, the light did not come on. Then Staś clicked the torch. A narrow beam of light moved across cardboard boxes, suitcases and instruments. Dust danced in the air like golden snow flies. - See! - Zosia crouched by the old globe. - Here the sea is green. - And here is the drum - Staś was pleased and tapped it lightly. Boom! A deafening, short sound echoed from the drum, as if the attic had answered: "Shh!" Peas hopped onto a box with a sticker saying "Scarves, hats, that sort of thing". A pea feather and a striped scarf protruded from the cardboard box. The cat sneezed and splashed into the darkness, and then his paw touched something that rang: a ding. - 'It's the wardrobe,' said Zosia. - It smells of lavender. The wardrobe stood in the corner, tall and silent. It had heavy doors and three knobs, as if she couldn't decide which was the real one. Zosia grabbed the middle one. The door groaned and opened. Inside hung long coats and canvas bags. It smelled of forest and rain, although there was no water anywhere. - But nice soft - Staś slipped his hand between the coats and disappeared into the folds, up to his elbow. - Like being in a cloud. - Don't move everything at once - Zosia warned, but she couldn't stand it either. She hid herself among the fabrics, and the outside world went instantly silent. Somewhere far away it was still raining, but here it was warm and quiet. Pea climbed carefully behind them and hung on to the shelf like a bell. Zosia touched the back wall of the wardrobe. It was smooth, cool and... a little wet? - Oh dear! - she squealed and took her finger away. A drop was left on her fingertips, glistening like a drop of dew. Staś put his hand next to it. - I think it's moving - he whispered. The wall shimmered. As if someone had blown on the surface of the water, small waves appeared. Zosia looked at Staś and Staś looked at Zosia. Pea made big eyes. - Maybe it's a mirror? - Zosia touched it again. This time she did not feel the wood. Her fingers went a little inside. As if she had dipped them in jelly. The air was different here. It smelled of summer, honey and freshly cut grass. A soft light shone from the back of the cupboard. First like a speck, then like a circle, and finally like a tall door that someone had drawn with chalk and then blown to make it light up. - Zosia... - Staś took his sister's hand. - See? It wasn't dark behind the door. You could see something like a meadow, but the grass was long and had ends like ribbons. Lanterns stood in the distance, but instead of bulbs they had feathers that glowed blue. Large clouds were streaming across the sky, pink as candyfloss. From one cloud floated a bird that had a tail like a comet: a glow trailed behind it like a ribbon in the wind. Bells could be heard ringing. Quiet, as if they were laughing at someone. Pea squinted and jabbed his paw at the glowing frame. The door trembled slightly and slid out another hair's breadth towards them, as if inviting: come in. - Do you think it's safe? - Staś asked, but curiosity shone in his eyes. - We'll just have a look," decided Zosia. - Like into a box of buttons. A real button fell out of Zosia's pocket. It rolled and clattered against the threshold: tick. And then something strange happened. On the other side in the grass, the blades rippled, as if someone had passed through. The smell of lemon candy and sea breeze reached them, although no sea was near. - Can you hear? - Staś tilted his head. Far away, on the other side, laughter rang out. Short, pearly and joyful. The laughter was followed by splashing, although there was no river. A paper aeroplane flew by, white, with a blue tip. It flew out through the glowing frame and quietly sat on Zosia's shoulder. It was soft, as if made from a very old handkerchief. - Oh, a card! - Zosia unrolled the airplane. There were three dots drawn inside and an arrow that led to a drawn hand on the handle. - Three? - Staś tightened his fingers on his sister's hand. - Let's count it, then. - Once... - whispered Zosia. Pea trembled with emotion and his moustache vibrated like strings. - Two... - Stasio's breath became short and quick, like the wings of a hummingbird. The light in the doorway winked brighter and brighter. The feathery lanterns on that side trembled and rustled as if someone was stroking them with his hand. - Three! - Zosia reached out a finger to touch the handle with a ribbon woven from the light. And then, just on the other side, someone's little gloved paw with white dots lay on the same handle. The door vibrated, thousands of golden particles danced in the air, and the handle began to turn slowly.