Staś and Zosia find a strange clock in the Borow forest and hear a voice asking for help. The deeper they go, the more the trees seem to wake up.
Beyond seven hills and a wide river, in a small village at the edge of the Borow Forest, lived Staś and Zosia. They were best friends. Every afternoon after school, they ran to the forest path, where old oak roots curled over the ground and little streams sparkled between the moss.
One day, when a cloud covered the sun and the woods grew quiet, Staś stopped short. From somewhere under the ferns came a soft tick-tick-tick.
Zosia knelt beside him. Together they pushed back the leaves. Underneath лежa a small wooden clock, dark with age. It was unlike any clock they had ever seen. Instead of numbers, its face showed a wolf, an owl, a frog, and a bear. Its hands moved slowly, as if they were listening to the forest.
Staś brushed away a last strip of moss. A tiny line of carved words ran around the edge, worn smooth by time. The clock gave a little shiver in his hands.
Then the air around them trembled. A pale green glow flickered between the tree trunks, and a deep, hushed voice floated out of the forest. “The forest is falling asleep,” it whispered. “Find the key hidden in the oak’s darkest shadow.”
Staś and Zosia stared at each other. The clock glowed brighter, and somewhere ahead, deep among the trees, something moved.