Saturday morning on Budyniowa Street smelled of buns from the nearby bakery and fresh laundry that fluttered like colourful flags. The sun painted bright squares on the pavement and pigeons cooed as if whispering gossip to each other. Kuba, with his baseball cap turned a little to one side, pedaled across the yard on his red bicycle. Lila was dragging a skipping rope behind her, which left zigzags in the dust. And behind them trotted the dachshund Steamer - as long as a pencil case and as serious as a headmaster, although his ears still swept the ground in a funny way. - 'Today we'll be patrolling,' Kuba announced, standing in the middle of the square. - We are watching, listening, taking notes. - I'm taking notes of the smell of the yeast cakes - said Lila and made a big 'mmm'. - And I make a note that Steamboat is just trying to eat a pebble. - Hau-no pebble! - protested Steamer, but because he was a dachshund, it sounded a bit like: - Hau-no-kam-yk! At the same moment, a quiet "purr-purr... bzzz... hik!" came from under the pillowcase drying on the string. The sound was so strange that even the wind stopped blowing and the pigeons fell silent without a single "gru". - Did you hear that? - whispered Lila, and her skip stood still. A large cardboard box leaned out from behind a pillowcase. It stood right next to the bench, tied with grey tape, and on the lid someone had stuck a note saying: "Do not open unless... you want to smile". The box did not stand still. It trembled slightly, as if there was something sitting inside that was just trying to learn to whistle. - It's purring! - Kuba was surprised. - A box that purrs. That sounds... delicious. - Strange, not delicious - Lila corrected him, but she was already smiling. - Although if it smells like strawberries, it might be delicious. Because indeed, the smell of strawberries was wafting from the box. Sticky red dots could be seen on the cobblestones, like steps from a jam. The footsteps started at the gate, did a hop-hop over two crooked tiles and ended right by the cardboard box, and then smudged some more by the swing. - Someone is holding a pancake inside? - wondered Cuba seriously. - Or three pancakes and a radio. - Or an alarm clock that has learned to say "hik!" - added Lila. Steamer walked around the cardboard box and poked it with his nose. The box replied: "pfff!", as if snorting flour. A bit of white fluff spilled out of one corner and landed straight on Kuba's nose. - Apsik! - sneezed Cuba, and Steamer sneezed from sneezing too: - Hapsik! - 'The case needs equipment,' announced Lila in an expert tone. She ran up the staircase and returned a moment later with a colander on her head and a wooden spoon in her hand. - The colander is a helmet and the spoon is a microphone. Hello, hello, cardboard box, can you hear me? - He can hear our cardboard box... - dipped Cuba, pulling a plastic magnifying glass out of his pocket. - And I have a super magnifying glass. And a laundry clip for the nose, as if it was too strawberry. Lila leaned over and read the note again. - "Don't open unless... you want to smile." - She looked at Cuba. - Do you want to? - I always want to! - confirmed Kuba. - But carefully. Listen first. They crouched down by the cardboard box. Steamer lay down next to it like a guard snake and tapped his tail in a 'tu-tu-tu' rhythm. Up close the sounds were clearer: "purr-purr... bzzz... hik... chich!". It sounded as if someone was trying to purr, tickle the air and hiccup at the same time. - 'Hello, it's Lila,' said Lila to the spoon. - 'If you're a strawberry pancake, tap out once. If a radio, tap out two. If an alarm clock, yawn. In response, something in the cardboard box did: "tic... tic... snap-yk!". And then it seemed to swish something soft, as the cardboard box trembled and the tape beeped like a little mouse: 'iik! - Well, it's not an alarm clock," assessed Kuba. - Alarm clocks don't wave. - Unless it's Monday," muttered Lila and laughed at herself. Kuba looked at the jam marks. - 'These dots are short. Like... short footsteps. Maybe it's something tiny? - Tiny and hungry - Lila added. - Hunger purrs. Steamer suddenly raised his head, set his ears and made a serious: - Hau! - Which in his language meant: "Attention!". - Good. The plan - whispered Kuba. - Lila, you hold the spoon-microphone. Steamer, you're our long radar. I count to three and tip the lid back a notch. - If something pops out, I'll say 'good morning'," promised Lila. - If something rolls in, I'll give it a tail wag as a sign of friendship," added Parówka, already waving at the supplies. Kuba took a corner of the lid. Tape stuck his fingers together and said a quiet 'snap', as if curious too. The sun climbed the wall and stood just above their heads, like a lamp in a theatre. The whole courtyard fell silent. Only the cardboard box muttered. - Once... - whispered Kuba. - Once and a half - corrected Lila, holding the spoon like a stage microphone. - Two... - continued Kuba. His fingers got a little sweaty. Steamer stopped wagging his tail and stared straight at the corner of the cardboard box without blinking. - 'Two and a quarter,' added Lila, because she liked quarters. Suddenly, something inside made a "hik!" so loud that even the colander on Lila's head trembled and rang a "ding-a-ding". The cardboard box popped up slightly and a speck of coloured paper fell out from under the lid. It flew like a rainbow snowflake and stuck to Kuba's forehead. - It was a sign! - hissed Kuba in a whisper. - OK, now... three! But before he could decently say 'three', the carton vibrated once more. The tape made a 'psssst' of its own accord, like a bottle of lemonade being opened. The corner of the lid lifted a millimetre, then another. Inside flashed something... something like a small, soft paw or a wing? Or maybe it was just a shadow. Lila held her breath, Steamboat squeaked softly with a takeover, and the lid began to slowly, slowly lift from the inside....