Leon and Hania find a secret gate in the garden and enter a forest of animal-shaped trees, where a tiny purple dragon leads them toward a mysterious riddle.
One warm morning, Leon woke to a strange sound in the garden behind the house. The birds were singing an unfamiliar tune, and at the very end of the path, where the rose vines tangled together, a little gate stood open.
"Hania! Come quick!" Leon called.
His older sister hurried out, wiping her hands on her skirt. She frowned at the gate, then smiled in the way she did when she was trying not to look excited. Together they stepped through.
On the other side, the Dragon Forest waited.
The trees were not like the trees near their house. One had a thick, round trunk like a giant tortoise. Another stretched up on one long trunk, tall and still like a heron. Far away, something grunted in the shade, low and sleepy, and Leon felt Hania squeeze his hand.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered.
Leon nodded. Between the roots of the tortoise tree, something green and shiny caught his eye. He bent to look, but before he could reach it, a soft laugh rustled through the leaves.
A tiny purple dragon with huge round eyes peeked out from the bushes. It flicked its tail once, then twice, as if inviting them closer.
Without a word, Leon and Hania followed it deeper into the forest. Butterflies with sparkling wings drifted above their heads, and the trees leaned over them like curious animals listening in.
At last, the dragon stopped beneath the biggest tree of all, a giant that looked like a sleeping lion. It turned to them and gave a sly little grin.
"If you want to know what is hidden beneath this tree," it said, "you must solve the riddle of Dragon Forest."
Leon and Hania stared up at the lion-tree. Then the ground beneath its roots gave a tiny shiver, and something inside the dark earth gave a faint, mysterious tap...