Franek discovers a tiny door in the garden and steps into a tunnel that leads to a floating island made of clouds, where a new friend warns him about strange cloud creatures.
Franek loved his grandmother's garden best of all. It was full of strawberry beds, buzzing bees, and secret places that seemed to wait just for him.
One afternoon, while he was reaching behind an old bush for the ripest berries, his fingers brushed something cold and smooth in the dirt. Franek leaned closer. A tiny shiny door was hidden under the leaves.
He pressed it open.
Behind it was a narrow tunnel, dark and damp, with walls that glimmered like wet stone. Franek took a breath, dropped to his hands and knees, and crawled inside.
The tunnel twisted and hummed softly. Then a pale light began to glow ahead. Franek blinked, crawled faster, and all at once the tunnel ended.
He stepped out onto a floating island made of fluff and mist.
Soft clouds curled under his shoes. The air smelled sweet, like sugar spun in the wind. Beside him stood a girl with cotton-candy hair and bright curious eyes.
"I'm Lila," she said, grinning. "Welcome to Cloud Island. The cloud bunnies live here. But stay close. The cloud tornadoes are waking up."
Before Franek could ask what that meant, something moved behind a silver cloud. A shape slid nearer, slow and silent, and the clouds began to tremble.