Mysz Pustynna was an expert at flying her glider. She made two smooth circles in the sky and, through her special glasses designed to spot portals, noticed a darker patch in the clouds. She aimed the glider toward it and soon found herself entering the human world.
She landed gently in a park. Nearby, there was a playground filled with colorful swings and slides. Alongside the playground ran a narrow path. Mysz Pustynna hid her glider carefully so no one would take it. Then she pulled out her compass to figure out which way to go.
Slowly, she squeezed through the tall grasses. She crossed one path, then another, and finally reached the park. Double-checking her map, she saw it pointed south. Taking out her binoculars, she scanned the area.
“I see a maple tree with green leaves,” she whispered to herself.
All around, yellow leaves covered the grass because autumn was coming. But luckily, the maple’s leaves were still green. Mysz Pustynna looked around cautiously. Cars drove by on the street and people walked on the sidewalks. Fortunately, the park was almost empty. Across the park, she spotted a lady walking her dog, but the lady was far away and surely hadn’t noticed her.
Carefully, Mysz Pustynna moved closer to the maple tree. When she reached its base, she saw that all the fallen leaves on the ground were yellow. The green leaves she needed only grew on the tree itself.
Luckily, some leaves hung just above the outdoor gym equipment. She climbed up the ladder, stretched out her paw, but couldn’t quite reach. Thankfully, in her backpack she carried extendable scissors. She pulled them out, snipped a leaf, and tucked it safely inside.
“Now all that’s left is to get down, return to the portal, and finish the mission,” Mysz Pustynna thought happily.
Suddenly, she saw something troubling. The dog she had noticed earlier was nearby, running without a leash all over the park.
“Oh no, it might smell me!” she worried.
Luckily, she was much higher up than the dog, but he began circling below. He sniffed one tree, then another, and kept running around. Mysz Pustynna quietly climbed down and started tiptoeing toward where she had left her glider—the exit to the portal.
She hoped to escape unnoticed, but then the dog caught her scent. Mysz Pustynna froze, wondering what to do. The dog stared at her, never having seen a creature like this before. She looked like an ordinary mouse, but with huge ears, a backpack, and a red headband. The dog was confused.
He didn’t run away. Instead, he decided to investigate this strange little being.
“Those dogs! I must find a way to trick him,” Mysz Pustynna thought quickly.
Then, she spotted a small toy car on the grass. It had a blue bottom, yellow wheels, and a yellow cabin. Without hesitation, she jumped inside and started honking the horn. The noise caught the attention of the dog’s owner. She thought a child was sitting in the car and immediately ran over.
“Nikolas, come back!” she called to her dog.
Meanwhile, Mysz Pustynna placed her backpack behind her to hide who was really driving and began pedaling. The ride over the grass was bumpy, but she soon reached the path and quickly arrived where her glider waited.
The glider had two jobs. Of course, it could fly, but when set on the ground and supported on its edges, it became tight and bouncy like a trampoline. Mysz Pustynna jumped out of the car, bounced once, twice, three times, and then—zoom!—her final jump was so high she landed right through the portal.
What about the glider? It stayed behind on the ground, probably still lying there in the park. Like the moon lander left on the moon, part of it would always remain.
Mysz Pustynna soared through the portal and landed back in the Animal Kingdom. Other Detectives were on duty and had been waiting for her arrival. When they saw her appear between the mountains, Kuba the Lion, who was on watch, shouted excitedly:
“Yes!”
He bounced off a rock and took to the sky on his own glider toward Mysz Pustynna. Patrycja wanted to open her parachute and float gently down, but during her escape from the dog, it had fallen somewhere. Luckily, Kuba made two circles and caught Mysz Pustynna in midair. Together, they landed at the foot of the mountain. Giraffe and Anteater slid down a rope, and soon all the friends were reunited.
“Did you manage to find the maple leaf without any trouble?” the animals asked Mysz Pustynna.
“Of course,” she said. “Although a little dog wanted to say hello, I wasn’t in the mood to play. I could have sprinkled some pepper spray to lose his scent, but I didn’t want to ruin his day or bother his nose. Luckily, I found a small toy car and pretended to be a child. His owner called him back and put the leash on.”
“Phew, now it’s all downhill from here,” said the Anteater.
The animals took out a compass, set their direction, and hurried toward their home. They arrived just before dawn. The Marmots had set up their tent and waited patiently for the Detectives’ return. As soon as they heard footsteps, they jumped out.
“Did you succeed?” they asked eagerly.
“Of course!” the animals replied. “We’ll prepare the potion soon, and then you can return to your land.”
Lion Kuba, Anteater, and Giraffe began unpacking their equipment, while Mysz Pustynna headed straight to the laboratory. There, using special ingredients and the maple leaf, she prepared a potion to break the curse on the marmots’ tree. After fifteen minutes of mixing, heating, and pouring, the potion was ready. In a small vial, it held a few milliliters of bright green liquid.
Mysz Pustynna stepped out of the lab and said, “Everything’s ready. Please pack this vial carefully, Marmot, so it doesn’t break.”
“Don’t worry,” answered the Marmot. “I have special foam packaging, so even if we fall or bump into something, the vial will be safe.”
The Marmots packed the potion and set off back to their land. Meanwhile, the Detective animals decided to spend the rest of the day doing what they loved most. They poured lemonade into glasses, put on sunglasses, and stretched out comfortably on hanging loungers under the shade of palm trees.
“Another mission accomplished,” sighed Lion Kuba, adjusting his hat, which never left his head—even during rest.
“I hope the potion works,” said Patrycja, looking through her notes in the journal. “According to the Wise Book, it should start working within a few hours of watering the tree.”
“It definitely will,” assured Zofia, reaching with her long neck for some snacks. “After all, you made it, and your potions are always effective.”
Alfred just nodded, nearly dozing in his lounger.
A week later, just as the animals finished their morning exercise, they heard a familiar whistle. It was Marmot Świszczysław with little Marmot Świstaczek visiting. This time, they didn’t look worried. On the contrary, their fur shone with health, and their paws had returned to their normal color.
“The potion worked!” Świszczysław called joyfully. “We watered the tree exactly as Mysz Patrycja instructed, and the very next day the sap stopped evaporating. Our paws turned back to normal!”
“We brought you thanks from all the marmot land,” added little Świstaczek, handing the animals a beautifully decorated box.
Inside were four shining medals engraved with “Heroes from the Grateful Marmots” and a basket full of marmot treats—honeyed nuts, a special delicacy from their land.
The Detective animals accepted the gifts proudly. Patrycja added a new page to her adventure journal. That evening, as the sun set over the jungle, they sat by the campfire, sharing stories of all their adventures during the quest for the maple leaf.
Though they knew another mission awaited soon, for now, they enjoyed peace, friendship, and the taste of marmot treats—the best reward for all their hard work.