Seven-year-old Susie and her shy cat Migotka slip through a garden gate and into the Enchanted Forest, where a rabbit, a worried otter, and strange lights wait in the trees.
One sunny morning, Susie woke before the birds. Her little room was still and bright, and Migotka, her shy white cat, was curled at the foot of the bed, purring softly.
"Come on, Migotka," whispered Susie, slipping out from under the blanket. "Today we are going to the Enchanted Forest."
She pulled on her purple rucksack and packed a sandwich, an apple, and her notebook with the crayons tucked inside. Then she took Migotka’s special ribbon and tied it gently around the cat’s neck. Migotka gave a tiny mew, as if she knew this was not an ordinary day.
At the end of the garden stood the old oak tree, wide and crooked, with a little iron gate hidden behind its roots. Susie had stared at that gate many times, wondering what waited beyond it. Now she pushed it open.
A sweet smell of flowers drifted out at once. Somewhere deep inside the trees, a flute was playing. The leaves shivered together as if they were whispering secrets. Susie and Migotka stepped onto the soft path, and butterflies the colour of candy fluttered up around them.
Then a rabbit in a shiny bowler hat sprang from behind a bush and landed right in front of them.
"Good morning," he said, very politely. "I was hoping someone would come. Something is happening in the forest today."
Susie was about to ask what he meant when a small cry rang out above them. A red scarf flashed between the branches, and a little otter tumbled down in a twist of leaves, landing with a puff at Susie’s feet.
"Help!" gasped the otter. "You have to come quickly. The forest has started to glow, and I can’t reach the others on my own."
Before Susie could answer, a strange blue light blinked between the trunks. Then another. And another.
Migotka’s fur rose a little.
The rabbit in the bowler hat stopped smiling.
Deep in the trees, something moved.