Leif and his dog Burek find a strange map in the sand and sail toward a misty island, where something hidden moves among the trees.
Behind the mountain, where the wind hummed over the cliffs and the sea sighed against the shore, lived a little Viking named Leif. He wore a red cap, carried a wooden sword, and never went anywhere without Burek, his shaggy dog, who trotted at his heels like a small shadow.
One morning, while Leif and Burek dug tunnels in the sand, something glinted near the waterline. Leif knelt down and pulled a bundle of old paper from the beach. It was tied with a frayed string and covered in faded lines. When he opened it, he found a map. Mountains were marked in blue, a dark forest spread across the middle, and a bold X sat near the edge of the page. Beside it, someone had drawn a tiny boat and a strange little key.
Leif's eyes grew wide. "A secret!" he whispered.
Burek barked once, as if he agreed.
Without another thought, Leif jumped into his wooden boat, and Burek scrambled in after him. The waves bumped them along, and the wind tugged at Leif's red cap as they sailed farther and farther from home. Soon, a misty island rose from the water ahead, its shore gray and quiet.
When they dragged the boat onto the sand, the air felt cold and still. Leif followed the map into the trees, and Burek stayed close, growling softly at something he could not see. Then a dark shape moved between the trunks. Leif stopped so fast his wooden sword nearly slipped from his hand, and from deep in the island, something small and silver gave a sharp, secret little click.