The Secret Drawer of Mrs. Helena

At the end of Cicha Street stood an inconspicuous house where twelve-year-old Zosia and her grandmother Helena lived. One rainy afternoon, Zosia was in the attic looking for old photographs. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to an old, intricately carved chest of drawers standing under the window. It had one unique drawer - the brass knob was covered in a mysterious pattern she had never seen before. Zosia gently pulled the knob. The drawer opened with a quiet creak, and a slight glow came from inside. Inside lay the most ordinary objects: an old-fashioned pencil, a pocket watch, a rolled-up letter, a porcelain cat figurine and a spool of red thread. Just as she was about to reach for the letter, she heard a quiet, broken whisper: - Don't touch! - the pencil whispered. - Be careful with the letter, he likes to play tricks - warned the watch, moving the hands. - Miauuuu, someone's here! - shouted the cat figure, standing to attention. Zosia jumped up in surprise. Her heart beat faster, but curiosity proved stronger than fear. - Oh my, are you guys really talking? - she asked, looking at the objects with wide-open eyes. At the same moment, the spool of thread began to unroll and the thread hung in the air, drawing mysterious signs. - Only you can solve our riddle.... - whispered the thread, twisting around itself like a small red snake. All eyes (or rather: eyes and clues) were on Zosia. The letter moved slightly and suddenly unrolled a piece of parchment, showing the beginning of a mysterious cipher consisting of strange symbols and sentence fragments. Silence fell in the room, broken only by the clatter of raindrops against the roof. Zosia took a deep breath and was about to ask what riddle she had to solve, when suddenly the light in the drawer dimmed and a quiet growl came from under the chest of drawers....