Basia and Kuba sleep in their grandmother's old cottage, where a tiny moving light leads them to a hidden door and a whispering surprise in the dark.
Basia and Kuba always loved staying with Grandma in her old wooden house at the edge of the forest. The boards creaked softly under their feet, and at night the branches tapped at the windows like curious fingers.
That evening, Grandma tucked them into the attic bedroom, where the blankets smelled faintly of lavender.
"Good night," she whispered, and clicked off the lamp.
Moonlight spilled through the small window, pale and silvery. Kuba was just drifting off when Basia breathed, "Kuba... do you see that?"
He opened his eyes.
A tiny light flickered on the wall above the cupboard. It was no bigger than a firefly, but it did not stay still. It slid slowly across the wood, glowing and fading, as if it knew exactly where it wanted to go.
Kuba sat up. "Maybe it's coming through a crack," he said, though his voice sounded unsure even to him.
Basia was already out of bed. She padded across the floor in her socks, her eyes fixed on the glowing dot. Kuba hurried after her, careful not to make the old boards groan too loudly.
The light drifted lower. Lower still.
Then it stopped.
Right beside a tiny door near the floor that neither of them had ever noticed before.
Basia froze. "There wasn't a door here yesterday."
Kuba bent down. The light shivered once, then flashed brighter than before. The little door gave a soft creak and began to swing open by itself.
A cool puff of air slipped out. So did a strange sound, like a tiny giggle hiding in the dark.
Basia grabbed Kuba's hand. He squeezed back hard, his heart thumping so fast it almost hurt.
Inside the opening, something moved. Another flash of light blinked once from deep in the shadow.
Then a whisper drifted out of the little doorway, barely louder than the wind outside.
Basia leaned closer, and Kuba held his breath.