Little Susie finds a secret hidden in the old Slavic forest, where Forest Pond shines with strange light and laughter rises from the reeds.
Behind the village where Grandfather Boruta and Grandmother Jagoda lived, a deep green forest stood like a secret waiting to be found. The trees leaned close together, their leaves whispering to one another, and soft paths twisted between mossy roots and red mushrooms. Little Susie, whom everyone in the village also called Zuzia, loved to wander there.
One warm day, as sunlight slipped through the branches, Susie heard a tiny splash.
She stopped so quickly that a beetle skittered off a leaf. Another splash sounded ahead, soft and careful, as if someone was tapping the water with a fingertip. Susie parted the ferns and stepped closer.
There it was - Forest Pond, dark and still, with a ring of reeds around the edge. The elders had always said the pond kept its own secrets. Susie had never believed that until now.
By the muddy bank lay a strange, shiny stick that looked almost like silver. A bright colour flickered beneath the surface, then vanished. Susie crouched down and peered into the water. In the pond's reflection, right between the ripples, she saw a tiny golden crown.
Before she could blink, a sound floated up from the reeds.
It was laughter.
Light laughter, tinkling like bells.
Susie held her breath. Something moved just under the water, and the little crown gleamed once more, as if it had noticed her too.