Nela's room smelled of crayons, fresh laundry and morning sunshine. The white polka dot curtains swayed slightly by the open window. A Bim-Bam alarm clock ticked on the shelf, a Lula Lamp waited on the desk and a Green Pea Mug stood next to them. On a chair hung Mr Paki's Backpack, stuffed with notebooks and convinced he was the bravest in the whole house. - Tick-tock, good morning - called Bim-Bam quietly. - Time to get up, Nelu. - I'm already up - muttered Nela, stretching like a cat. Her feet touched the soft cloud-shaped carpet. - Good morning, Bim-Bamie. Good morning, Lulo. Hi, Pea. Hey, Mr Paki. - Hey, heeey! - replied Mr Paki, until his belt jumped up. - Today I have the strength of two backpacks! - 'And I have raspberry colour today,' boasted Crayon Lynx, emerging from the pencil cup. - I can draw something beautiful. Maybe a balloon? Or a heart? Or a map? - A map of what? - giggled Peas, tapping his ear against the desk. Suddenly, from behind a drawer, there came a soft, long sound: shoo.... shoo... Nela froze. The sun was dancing on her floor in yellow stripes, and this whispering sound flowed like a breeze from the carpet to her toes. - Did you hear that? - She asked, putting her ear to the desk. - 'It wasn't me,' said Bim-Bam hastily. - 'I can only make phone calls. - 'And it's not me,' Lula added, and turned on the warm light as if to look under the wood. - 'That sounded like... like my cousin, Dreaming Paper - whispered Rysia. - He always rustles like that when he wants someone to find him. Nela put her hand on the bottom drawer. It was cool and smooth. - Hello? - She said in a whisper. - 'Who's there? - Nela... - answered a voice from inside. - Nela, listen... The girl glanced at Mr Paki. Paki adjusted his shoulder strap to look more serious. - 'Don't open it like that straight away,' he warned. - You have to check the drawer's humour first. Drawers are capricious. - Capricious? - snorted Pea. - The real stars are the pea cups, not the drawers. - Shuuu... - rustled inside again, a little louder this time. - Please... Nela pulled the handle. The drawer did not move at all. - 'It's locked,' declared Bim-Bam in a very important voice. - I can hear it by the silence. Silence buzzes differently when the key is asleep. - The key! - cried Rysia. - Who has seen the key to Nela's drawers? - Hm, hm - grunted Lula, lighting up the edge of the desk. - I saw him playing hide and seek with the pins yesterday. He hid, but where? - Maybe in my front pocket? - suggested Mr Paki, stuffing his belly into the chair. - It's always nice and soft there. - I'll check,' said Nela. She stuck her hand into her rucksack pocket. She pulled out a roll of pencil eraser, a card with a kitten on it, a star-shaped button, but there was no key. - How about under the carpet? - suggested Pea. - Sometimes that's where anything round gets rolled. Nela lifted a corner of the carpet. She found a cleverly hidden rainbow sticker and a small coin, which quickly escaped under the seat, but the key was still missing. - Shu... here... - pronounced a voice from inside, as if he was in a hurry. - Time... Bim-Bam grunted anxiously. - I don't like it when time rushes things. Can anyone else hear the air ticking? - 'I hear it,' Lynx said and moved the tip, leaving a tiny raspberry dot on the paper. - I also hear that a plan needs to be made. - A plan? - repeated Mr Paki proudly. - I love plans. Plan one: find the key. Plan two: open the drawer. Plan three: protect Nela if something pops out. I have straps to hug and locks to latch! - And I have a light," Lula added. - And I won't hesitate to use it. Nela looked around the room. A leaf was floating on the windowsill, carried by a light breeze. On the chair, a scarf had slipped to the floor and formed a loop, like a sign. Under the desk lay a thin string of beads. - Look! - she exclaimed. - The beads form a path! The string ran from the desk, passed the carpet, twisted by the bookshelf and ended right next to Nela's bed. The girl knelt down and looked underneath. - Hello? - she called out from under the bed. - Has anyone seen my key? Something small clattered against the board. It wasn't a monster, but a very light sound, as if someone had dropped a raindrop, but made of glass. - There it is! - squealed Rysia. - There, I saw a flash! Nela slid her hand deeper. First she found a teddy bear's paw, then a lost sock with stars on it. And suddenly - wham! - under her fingers she felt a cool shape with teeth. - Got it! - she called out triumphantly. - A tiny key with a cloud. - It's him, it's him! - rejoiced Bim-Bam. - I can hear the metal rejoicing. The voice from the drawer breathed so quietly that only Lula noticed it and shone the light a little harder. - Nela... - whispered from inside the wood. - Thank you. - 'Take it easy,' said Mr Paki, positioning himself wide as a small guard. - Is everyone ready? Peas? - Ready to tap your ears when you need to,' replied Mug Pea. - Lynx? - Ready to draw an escape route or a heart of courage - blushed Lynx Crayon. - Lulo? - The light will be gentle but watchful - promised Lamp Lula. Nela knelt down at the desk. She slid the key into the tiny lock. The teeth slid in smoothly, as if they had been waiting for this moment for a long time. - Now," she whispered. Bim-Bam's tic paused for a fraction of a second. Mr Paki tightened his straps. The pea squatted quietly so as not to make a sound. Lynx raised the tip over the page, ready to paint. Lula spilled golden light on the drawer handle. Nela turned the key. Click. The tree trembled. The drawer gave out a tiny sigh, like a face trying to say its first word after a long silence. The handle moved on its own, slightly, very slightly. - A rustling... - came from the dark interior. - Just be careful... Nela put her hand around the handle. She felt it warmer than a moment ago, as if a tiny star was burning inside. She pulled a little. The board squeaked and there was a smell of needles in the air, like in the market in winter when they sell Christmas trees. - Can you see it? - she shrugged in a whisper. On the edge of the drawer flashed something like a very thin ray, so thin as to be almost invisible, yet dancing. - 'I see,' Lula confirmed, increasing the light by half a flicker. - It looks like a thread of light. - What if it's a thread for a whole new picture? - guessed Rysia, until she twitched with excitement. - Or a string by which to descend into adventure,' wheezed Mr Paki. Nela took a breath, moved the drawer back another centimetre and then, from deep inside, there came a quiet, resolute knocking: one, two, three. A soft glow, thin as breath, burst from within. Something moved in the gloom, just at the edge, and was just, just beginning to slide out....