BabyPaka. Episode 2: The map on an autumn leaf

In the previous episode, six fluffy tracks brought Zibi, Momo, Eli, Guga, Riko and Hugo together as one Paka. Just when the night-time mystery seemed solved, an autumn leaf rustled beneath the door. Someone had drawn a tiny map on its back.

Now BabyPaka had to discover where their first shared clue would lead.

A map that would not explain itself

Zibi placed the leaf on the soft rug and took out a magnifying glass. Three thin lines, a small circle and a golden dot near the edge were visible.

— A map! — he cheered. — But of what?

Momo stood on tiptoe, tilted her head and turned with the leaf.

— Maybe it is a dance plan? Three steps, a spin and a grand finale by the golden dot!

Eli held the stem so the delicate treasure would not tear. Riko made sure nobody stepped on the map, while Hugo sat beside it and listened to its quiet rustle.

Every viewpoint reveals something new

Guga looked at the leaf from above and from the side. She arranged three little sticks beside it, following the map’s lines.

— These lines look like the leaf’s veins — she noticed. — Perhaps the drawing is not beside them. Perhaps it was made from them.

Zibi jumped with excitement. — So we must look not only at what was added, but at the leaf itself!

The friends lifted, lowered and turned the map. Momo even peered through it with one eye. It looked funny, but the answer still did not appear.

Then Hugo said: — Let us be quiet for a moment. Some things are easier to see when we stop rushing.

Moonlight at the window

In the silence, everyone heard a twig tap the window. The moon emerged from behind a cloud and cast a bright rectangle on the floor.

Guga carefully held the leaf to the light. Its veins joined the drawn lines, creating a clear route: from the door, past the shelf of soft blankets, through a narrow passage and towards the windowsill.

— Now I see it! — called Zibi.

The Paka followed the map. Zibi watched for points, Guga ordered the clues, Eli carried the leaf, Momo invented names for the places they passed, and Hugo reminded everyone not to run. When the path entered a darker part, Riko took the first step.

— We do not need to see the whole road — he said. — The next point is enough.

The golden dot beneath the windowsill

The path ended at the windowsill. Zibi checked under the curtain, Momo looked behind a plant, Eli moved a soft basket, and Hugo listened.

— Something is tapping quietly — he whispered.

Guga counted three lines on the map and three boards by the wall. By the third, she saw a golden glint. Riko moved a leaf and revealed a small box with six compartments.

Momo clapped her paws. — Treasure!

— Or the next puzzle — Zibi replied happily.

There were no jewels inside, only six small objects: a feather, a smooth stone, a red ribbon, a wooden button, a tiny bell and a key. Each had its own place, but none was labelled.

Curiosity likes company

Zibi wanted to test the key, Momo to ring the bell, Eli to make sure nothing was lost, and Guga was already organising the compartments. Riko and Hugo waited patiently.

— Each of us noticed something different — said Zibi. — If we had looked in only one way, the map would still seem like an ordinary leaf.

— Six different characters, one Paka — Eli reminded them.

They returned every object to its place and carried the box to the rug. They made a rule: before deciding a clue made no sense, they would look from several angles and listen to the whole Paka.

They placed the leaf safely between two sheets of paper. One puzzle was solved, but another remained: what were the six objects for, and why did each have its own compartment?

Guga moved the box closer to the light. — Before we use the key, let us check that everything is in its place.

Continued in “Guga and the box where everything has its place”.