Ola and Staś find a playground bench that changes flavour from vanilla to chocolate and seems to hide a secret.
Ola loved the playground under the big maple tree, where the leaves whispered and the old branches hummed softly in the wind. One afternoon she brought her best friend, Staś, so they could swing high, whoosh down the slide, and collect shiny acorns in their pockets.
When their legs grew tired, they flopped onto the wooden bench beneath the tree to rest. Staś wrinkled his nose and looked at Ola with wide eyes.
"Ola," he said, "does this bench always smell like that?"
Ola leaned closer. The bench smelled sweet, like vanilla biscuits fresh from the oven. She sat down again, very still, and blinked.
Now the smell had changed.
This time it was chocolate.
Ola straightened up so fast her shoes tapped the ground. Staś touched the bench with one finger, then licked a tiny spot and gasped.
"It tastes like sugar," he whispered.
Ola stared at the smooth wooden slats. The maple leaves rustled above them. Somewhere behind the bench, something gave a tiny giggle.
Both children turned around at once.