Little Leon and Fiki the rabbit hear a strange sound drifting from the Old Forest and follow it deeper among the trees, where they find a shining key and something hidden in the bushes.
One bright morning, Leon sat up in bed and heard it again: a small, strange sound drifting in from the Old Forest. It was not the wind. It was not a bird. It sounded like soft giggles mixed with a rustle of leaves.
Beside him, Fiki the rabbit was already awake. His ears stood straight up, and his nose twitched as he listened.
"Did you hear that, Fiki?" Leon whispered.
Fiki gave a quick nod and made a tiny squeak.
Leon grinned. "Then we have to find out what it is."
He pulled on his wellingtons, tucked Fiki into his rucksack, and set off between the trees.
The Old Forest was cool and green, full of mossy roots and the sweet smell of pine. Sunlight slipped through the branches in bright gold stripes. Birds sang overhead, but the strange little sound kept slipping away just ahead of them, as if it wanted to be followed.
Leon pushed past a fern and stopped. Under a big oak tree, something flashed.
He knelt down and found a key. It was small, silver, and very shiny, as if it had been waiting there for someone to notice it.
Leon lifted it carefully. Then, from deep in the bushes nearby, came a louder rustle.
Fiki froze in Leon's arms. Leon stared at the dark leaves, holding the key tight, as something moved again inside the bushes.