Little Zosia wanders into the forest behind her village and meets Leszek, the forest guardian, who asks for help when strange signs appear on a hidden lake.
Once in a small village, there lived a girl named Zosia. Behind her house began a forest she knew by heart, with soft moss, singing birds, and trees that whispered when the wind moved through them.
One bright morning, Zosia followed the narrow path as usual, but today it looked different. Bright flowers she had never seen before bloomed along the edges like tiny lanterns. Their colours flashed between the ferns, and Zosia slowed down to look closer.
Soon the path opened onto a little lake hidden deep in the forest. Tall ferns bent around it like green curtains, and a pale mist drifted over the water. The lake was so still that Zosia could see the sky trembling on its surface.
Then a small boy stepped out from behind a stone. He wore a cap plaited from leaves and smiled as if he had been waiting for her.
"Hello, Zosia," he said. "I am Leszek, the forest guardian. I need your help. Something strange happened at the lake this morning, and the signs on the water do not make sense. Will you come with me?"
He held out a thin twig with a coloured leaf tied to it, and before Zosia could answer, the water gave a deep, shivery ripple. Something began to rise from the lake, shining with a green light.