Ola and her dog Dropsik find a tiny golden door beneath an old oak tree, and when they unlock it, a strange light and distant laughter drift out.
Ola loved walking in the forest with Dropsik trotting beside her, his tail wagging like a flag. The trees were warm with sunshine, and the air smelled of grass and wild flowers.
Then Ola stopped.
Under the roots of an old, wide oak tree, something small and bright was glinting in the shade. She knelt down and brushed away the leaves. It was a golden door. Not a toy door. Not a picture. A real door, no bigger than her backpack, tucked right into the earth.
Dropsik gave one sharp bark and poked the handle with his nose.
Ola leaned closer. A tiny blue key was tied to the latch with a silver thread.
"Do you think it opens?" she whispered.
Dropsik answered by wagging his tail so hard that the leaves rustled around them.
Ola took the little key in her fingers. It felt cool. The door looked still and quiet, but something about it made her heart beat faster. She slipped the key into the lock and turned it.
Click.
The door swung open at once, and a wash of coloured light spilled out across the roots.
Dropsik jumped back, then crept forward again, nose twitching. From inside came the faintest sound of bells... and soft laughter, as if someone, or something, had been waiting just beyond the dark.