Julia, Bartek and Lena invented new games every afternoon, but on this day they were bored with all their favourite games. So they decided to go deeper into the Emerald Forest, whose boundaries always seemed a bit dark and full of mystery. The surroundings were quiet and the great trees whispered something constantly, as if they were exchanging secrets. Among the ferns, Lena found colourful mushrooms, Bartek listened to the birds singing and Julia tried to spot the forest animals. At one point, Lena tripped over something hard. They looked under her feet and saw a piece of an old, moss-covered box. Julia helped dig it out. When they lifted the lid, they found a map inside with strange signs and writing: "Follow the light and you will find the passage to the Other World". Bartek leaned over to get a better look at the map. At that moment, something strange began to happen - a beam of light broke through the thicket of leaves and stopped on a stone a few metres away. The stone glowed with a faint green light. Lena, fascinated, moved in that direction, and Julia and Bartek did not leave her side. As soon as the three of them touched the stone, the ground beneath them trembled and a mist smelling of mint and sage appeared around them. The silhouettes of animals began to emerge from the mist, but they were larger than ordinary foxes and deer - their eyes glowed blue and their fur shone like stars. Suddenly, there was a quiet whisper from deep in the forest that seemed to call their names. Each of the children felt a slight tingling in their fingers and saw that they were holding hands, the map glowing brighter and brighter. The forest began to change - the trees parted to form a tunnel leading somewhere into the unknown.... Just then, a mysterious figure in a cloak of iridescent leaves appeared just outside the tunnel. The friends held their breath, and the figure spoke in a quiet but firm voice: "Only those who solve the riddle of the Guardian can move on. Are you ready?"