Ola and Franek set off for the Colourful Forest after spotting strange footprints near the gate. The deeper they go, the more mysterious the trail becomes.
One bright summer morning, Ola woke before anyone else. Sunlight spilled across her room in gold and orange stripes, and the windows seemed to shimmer. She sat up at once.
"Today feels like an adventure," she whispered.
After breakfast, she hurried to meet her best friend, Franek. Together they raced to the garden, where a tall fence marked the edge of the Colourful Forest. Ola leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Did you hear about the strange footprints in the woods?"
Franek grinned and lifted a crayon-drawn map. "Maybe a giant squirrel made them."
Ola laughed, but she still packed carefully: two sandwiches, a magnifying glass, and a small torch. Franek tucked the map into his pocket. Hand in hand, they slipped through the gate into the forest.
The trees were unlike any they had ever seen. Some had blue leaves. Some had purple flowers. Bright birds flashed overhead, singing quick, cheerful tunes. The air smelled sweet and green.
Then Franek stopped so suddenly that Ola bumped into him.
"Look," he breathed.
In the muddy path ahead, there were prints. Not one set, but two. One was large. The other was tiny. Ola crouched down and touched the edge of the mud with one finger.
"Those weren't here a moment ago," she said.
The trail turned between the ferns and deeper into the Colourful Forest. The birds fell quiet. A branch rustled somewhere ahead, and something small and shiny flashed between the leaves.
Ola and Franek stared into the thicket, hardly daring to blink.