The village of Sprukovo lay at the edge of a dense, dark forest, which the locals called the Rowan Forest. The forest had a bad reputation - strange shadows were said to flit through its shadows, and during a full moon, chants could be heard that sent shivers down the spine of even the bravest hunters. Julia, Michal and Lena - three friends from the eighth grade - had long dreamt of something unusual that could change their everyday lives full of repetitive lessons and endless chatter. One summer evening, as the setting sun was melting among the rowan leaves, they found an old, yellowed parchment with strange symbols at the edge of the forest. "It looks like some kind of old map," whispered Julia, trying to decipher the winding lines and drawings depicting swirling signs and plants. Lena, who had always believed in the legends told by her grandmother, was delighted - convinced that the map led to something that belonged only to the brave. Michael tried to pretend that he was not impressed, but he could not take his eyes off one of the drawings: it showed a figure with a rowan leaf instead of a face. The next day, before dawn, they set off on the trail drawn on the parchment. The forest was different from usual - quiet, as if pensive. The moss bent underfoot, and somewhere overhead the wings of night birds fluttered. After less than an hour's walk, they arrived at the shore of a tiny lake they did not know, although they had lived in Spruce since forever. Amidst the reeds a boat glittered, tied to a dried root. "It looks like someone was here just before us," Michal said, pointing to the small footprints imprinted in the mud. Lena approached the boat and noticed that someone had carved the word 'Strzyga' on its side. Julia didn't have time to ask what it meant, because suddenly there was a rustling laughter coming from the reeds, which could not be mistaken for the voice of any animal. A fleeting light reflected on the water, as if the lake winked at them from beneath the surface. The friends looked at each other nervously, and Lena gripped the parchment even tighter and took a step towards the reeds. At the same moment, a figure with long, wet hair emerged from the water, and the silence was pierced by the sound of an ancient song, the words of which none of them understood....