Holidays in the town of Brzozów had always been quiet until this summer, when Tosia, Kuba and Emil decided to discover what was really hidden in the Forest of Sky Branches. This forest stretched behind their housing estate, and although there were all sorts of stories circulating about it, the children were never afraid to look between the old trees, where the light danced in golden spots on the mulch. One morning, when the sun was just beginning to warm the clearing, Tosia found something strange under a large oak tree - a metal handle sticking out from under the roots. She called her friends and together they started scratching the ground with sticks. After a while, they heard a quiet clatter - a rusty box emerged from under a layer of leaves. - It looks like something from a pirate ship! - shouted Kuba, wiping the lid with his T-shirt. The box was difficult to open, but Emil, who always carried a penknife with him, managed with the old lock. Inside lay a rolled up parchment tied with string and a tiny wooden key in the shape of a leaf. On the parchment was a map of the forest, but in a completely different shape than the children knew it. Instead of the usual paths, there were drawn strange signs, arrows and unknown buildings deep in the forest. - 'I've never seen a tower like that on a map! - said Emil, looking at a small tower with bells drawn by the stream. - And there's something written here! - Tosia pointed to a crooked line with the signature 'Whispering Path'. The children looked at each other with a gleam in their eyes. Could it be that there really was something more hidden in their ordinary forest? Just at that moment, a rustling sound came from the bushes and someone or something moved on the other side of the big oak tree. The friends froze, clutching the key and the map in their hands. Who or what could have been watching them? Without a word, with compressed hearts, they hid behind the trunk. From the middle of the forest emerged a low figure with a red cap, which resembled.... a gnome! The figure looked at them, raised a finger to its lips and.... gestured to himself.