Julka and her dog Bilbo find a hidden tunnel beneath an old oak tree and stumble into an underground world of strange animals, whispers, and a secret that is about to surface.
Julka never minded getting muddy if Bilbo was with her. The shaggy black dog knew the woods behind their house better than anyone, or so Julka liked to think. He could sniff out a dropped biscuit from ten paces and a buried bone from half a field away.
On a warm June afternoon, he suddenly froze beside an old oak tree at the edge of the path. His nose pressed to the roots, his tail stiff, he began to scratch at the earth with frantic little kicks. Julka crouched beside him. The soil gave way with a soft crumble, and a narrow dark opening appeared beneath the tree.
Bilbo gave one sharp bark and disappeared into it.
"Bilbo!" Julka called, but she was already sliding after him, one hand on the damp wall of the tunnel. The air smelled of wet stone and moss. Her shoes brushed against something carved into the earth: tiny paw prints, lined up neatly as if someone had gone before them on purpose. Ahead, a faint shimmer flickered through the darkness, like candlelight caught in water.
The tunnel opened into a chamber so large Julka had to stop and stare. In the middle stood three animals she had never seen in any book: a fox with round glasses, a hedgehog wearing a crooked hat, and a huge white rabbit with a watch hanging from a ribbon around its neck. They were speaking in urgent whispers.
Julka took one step forward. The fox turned instantly and fixed her with bright, worried eyes.
"If you've come here," he said, "then you arrived just in time for the secret we've been trying to protect."
Before Julka could answer, the ground gave a low shudder. Dust drifted from the ceiling. From deep in the tunnel behind them came a strange sound, heavy and quick, growing louder with every second.