The Forest of Violet Shadows stretched all the way to the horizon, hidden under a layer of honey-cake-scented mists. None of the adult inhabitants of the town of Niebieszczany were too interested in it - everyone claimed it was an ordinary, if somewhat gloomy, forest. But for Lena, Emil and their cousin Pola, it was a real portal to another world. It was a May evening when the children met at the end of Wiper Street. They had planned to simply watch the owls, but this time Pola had brought something unusual with her - a silver leaf that glowed even in the dark. She claimed to have found it under an old oak tree by the river. Emil tilted his head, trying to see some signs on the leaf, and Lena could not take her eyes off the magical glow. - Do you think dragons really live in this forest? - asked Lena timidly. - Maybe... - sighed Emil, looking at the smoke rising in the distance. Suddenly, something rustled quietly in the thicket. The children were not alone. As they approached an old oak tree, strange greenish lights began to pierce through the leaves, and an icy wind blew around them. Field squeezed a leaf, which suddenly flared more strongly. The forest trembled, and a dragon's scales, the size of a large plate, appeared at their feet. Before they had time to say anything, a low, melodious voice rang out from within the trees: - Who dared to wake me? The air thickened with anticipation. Lena took a step forward - and then....