One bright autumn morning, the animals of the forest woke up early, ready for a day full of adventure. They had planned to explore the woods and gather the gifts of the season: mushrooms, acorns to trade with the wild boars, chestnuts, and other fruits. Each animal carried a basket and a special little knife for picking mushrooms. Every autumn, they went mushroom hunting, and every time, they found themselves in some kind of unexpected adventure. But this time, they decided to focus only on collecting what they had planned.
“No running around, no mischief, no climbing trees for honey, and especially no collecting ants!” they all agreed.
The anteater Alfred felt a little disappointed, but he knew he could have one day a year without his favorite ant cookies and treats. After morning exercise and breakfast, the animals entered the jungle and began gathering supplies. They were excellent trackers, with sharp eyes, keen noses, and sensitive ears, which helped them find the best places quickly. Their baskets filled up fast.
Around midday, the animals sat down for a picnic in a clearing. They shared stories from long ago and laughed about past adventures.
“Remember when the little desert mouse tried honey and the bees stung her?” one said.
“Or when Lion Kuba fell into a hole dug by badgers?” everyone laughed.
After their snack, they went back into the forest to finish filling their baskets and prepare to return home. But Alfred the anteater couldn’t resist the smell of ants. His nose twitched and moved as if it had a mind of its own.
“Alfred,” said Giraffe Zofia, “remember, no mischief or treats today.”
“I know, but these ants smell so delicious,” sighed Alfred. “I just can’t control my nose.”
As they passed a large anthill, Alfred’s nose suddenly dove right into it. The other animals laughed, but then they were surprised.
“Ahh!” Alfred cried, pulling his nose out. At the tip was a huge wasp sting. Apparently, the ants had brought a wasp into their nest, and it stung Alfred’s nose the moment it saw it.
Alfred twisted in pain. “Help me!” he shouted.
The animals were experienced in such emergencies. Lion Kuba pressed his body firmly to keep Alfred still. The desert mouse pulled out a magnifying glass and tweezers and carefully removed the sting. Giraffe Zofia applied a compress to reduce swelling and wrapped bandages around Alfred’s nose.
“It’s all right now, Alfred. Let’s head back. Your mischievous nose has played tricks on us again,” said Zofia.
Alfred, a bit sore but more scared than hurt, started back to the base.
“Good thing it ended well,” Alfred said through his swollen nose. “My grandmother told me wasps can be very dangerous, sometimes causing paralysis.”
“It’ll be fine,” reassured Zofia.
Alfred lay down on a lounger, put a cold compress on his nose, and rested. The others washed and prepared their gathered fruits for drying and storing for winter.
Later, at dinner time, the animals called out to Alfred, but he didn’t move. Zofia looked over and gently nudged him. Alfred opened one eye.
“My nose hurts a lot,” he said weakly.
Zofia unwrapped the bandage and saw that Alfred’s nose was very swollen.
“Oh no, the wasp venom must have affected you,” she said worriedly.
“Yes, I can’t smell anything. My grandmother said this sometimes happens, but I never met anyone it happened to before. Maybe I’m allergic,” Alfred sighed.
“That’s strange,” said the desert mouse. She went to the library and brought an old book of ancient diseases and legends. She opened it to “Wasp Stings” and read aloud:
“A sting from a wasp or hornet that hits an anteater’s nose causes loss of smell. The anteater will no longer be able to detect ants.”
The animals were frightened.
“How is that possible? Is there a cure?” they asked.
“I don’t know. Can I still be a detective?” Alfred worried.
“Don’t worry, Alfred. We will find a way,” they assured him, though they were anxious too.
The mouse read further:
“The only cure is a potion made from ingredients known by the sloth Lemonek. Lemonek always helps when there’s a problem. You must visit him for help.”
“But we don’t have any sloths here,” said Zofia.
“Maybe the owl can help us find out more,” suggested the mouse.
Lion Kuba rode his bike to the wise owl’s tree and asked her for advice.
“Hello, Kuba. What brings you here?” the owl asked.
“Alfred was stung on the tip of his nose by a wasp,” Kuba explained.
“Not the first time,” the owl said.
“But this time it’s serious. His nose is swollen and he lost his smell.”
“I remember reading about this long ago. It’s very serious.”
“We found in an old book that only Lemonek the sloth’s potion can help,” said Kuba.
“Yes, I remember. Long ago, Lemonek lived at the edge of our forest. He was annoyed by all the busy animals and moved deep into the forest because he only wanted to rest and make his potion once a year. He is no longer easy to find,” explained the owl.
“What can we do?” asked Kuba.
“I have an old map,” said the owl, “though half of it is missing. It shows the path Lemonek drew for emergencies. Only use it if the problem is very serious and no one else can help.”
“This is the case,” said Kuba.
He returned to the others and told them the news.
Meanwhile, the animals called the nurse weasel, who made a compress for Alfred’s nose and gave him some soothing herbs. Kuba shared his conversation with the owl.
“We must go now,” said the mouse.
“Yes,” said Zofia. “Alfred, you rest bravely. We’ll go on the mission. Parrot Ala will fly ahead to guide us.”
They packed their gear and set off. The first part of the journey was easy. They reached the forest edge, pushed through bushes, crossed a stream by wading, climbed rocks, and passed a clearing with hanging spider webs without stopping. They wanted to reach Lemonek quickly.
At the end of the map, they paused.
“What now?” asked Kuba.
“If I were Lemonek, I’d keep going straight,” said Zofia. “I wouldn’t want to change my plan.”
“I’ll listen carefully to the forest sounds,” said the mouse. “Where Lemonek lives, it should be the quietest place.”
“Good idea,” said Kuba.
“Let’s go,” said Zofia.
Suddenly, the mouse raised her hand: “Stop! Silence!”
She listened closely and heard grunting.
“Don’t move,” she whispered.
Suddenly, a herd of wild boars appeared. They were startled because no one had been in their part of the forest for a long time. The animals were frightened too. Luckily, Kuba had a handful of acorns gathered earlier. He gave them to the mouse, who gently showed them to the boars.
“These are for you,” she said.
The boar mother sniffed the fresh acorns.
“Do you speak our language?” asked the mouse.
“Yes,” said the mother. “A creature from the detective animal land taught me.”
“What else did he say?”
“He said he lived among detective animals and was happy there. But since everyone came to him for advice, running and working and partying, he moved deep into the forest.”
“We are looking for him,” said the mouse.
“Go straight ahead. Thank you for the acorns,” said the mother.
The animals continued.
“We’re on the right track,” said the mouse.
After several kilometers, they reached a large clearing.
“This must be the forest edge. What about our anteater? And Lemonek? He was supposed to live in the forest,” they worried.
The mouse listened carefully, the giraffe stretched her neck, and Kuba looked around. They saw chewed eucalyptus leaves, fresh enough to be a sign. Looking up, they saw two paws hanging from a hammock. It was Lemonek!
“Is he sleeping? Should we wait?” asked Kuba.
“Maybe not,” said Patrycja.
The parrot flew low and stirred the sloth with a breeze of her wings. Lemonek opened one eye.
“Oh no, who disturbs my sleep?” he grumbled.
“Lemonek, can you come down? We have a big problem. It’s us, the detective animals,” said the parrot.
Lemonek slowly climbed down.
“Hello, is this really an emergency? I haven’t been disturbed for years.”
“Yes, Alfred was stung on the nose. He lost his smell. We need your potion,” explained the mouse Patrycja.
“That’s serious,” said Lemonek. “You need my potion. Follow me.”
He led them to his small cabin hidden among the trees, filled with herbs, dried plants, and ingredients.
“This potion needs special things,” Lemonek explained. “Pollen from night flowers, eucalyptus bark, aloe leaf juice, and a few drops of morning dew.”
The animals immediately set to work. Giraffe reached for high leaves, the mouse gathered dew, and Kuba helped collect bark. Parrot flew around coordinating everything.
After several hours, Lemonek prepared the potion.
“Done,” he said. “This will help Alfred regain his smell. He must drink it and rub some on his nose before sunset. After that, the potion loses its power.”
The animals thanked Lemonek and hurried back. They ran as fast as they could, with Parrot Ala flying ahead to prepare Alfred.
When they arrived, the sun was already setting. Alfred lay sadly on his lounger.
“Alfred, we have the potion!” called Zofia.
Alfred drank it and rubbed some on his nose, as Lemonek instructed. Just before the sun disappeared, his nose began to shrink and the swelling went away.
“I can smell!” Alfred shouted. “I can smell ants!”
All the animals jumped with joy. Alfred had regained his sense of smell, meaning he could still be a detective.
“Thank you, friends,” Alfred said, touched. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“We’re a team,” said Lion Kuba. “We always help each other.”
From that day on, the detective animals visited Lemonek every year, bringing him winter supplies and sharing their adventures. And Alfred, though he still loved ants, was much more careful when mushroom picking in the forest.
And so ended another adventure of the detective animals, who learned that true friends always come to help, even if it means a long journey across the whole forest.