Once upon a time, there were three little kittens living near the forest with their mommy. The curious, bold one was Smokey; he was completely black except a white spot in his tummy. The oldest one was cautious Miss Tidy; her beige fur was always clean and shiny. The youngest one Lilly, was yellow with brown eyes. She was the most naive of the three; she would believe everything Smokey said, even that the forest was awashed with fish-trees.

One morning, after finishing their breakfast of big juicy bugs, they wanted to take a stroll in the forest. Smokey said: "do not worry mom, I can take care of us." Their mom knew that none could be trusted alone in a dangerous place like the forest. But, by balancing each other, they could make the right decisions together. So, she gave permission with a big warning, as mothers always do, "to be very careful!" Then, the little troop went on, led by the brave sergeant Smokey!

The forest was full of fun: all kinds of bugs and small animals to play with, butterflies and wind-driven leaves to chase after, tall trees to climb on, so on and on. What amazed them most was the lizard that escaped Smokey's paw by leaving his tail behind. They were having so much fun when Lilly said she was tired. They were not hungry though, because they swallowed some of the little creatures they were playing with.

They decided to head back home. But after a while they realized that nothing looked familiar. It was getting dark too. They knew that the forest was dangerous for small cats at night. Nocturnal animals like raccoons or big owls could catch them for food. Of course, none of them wished to be someone else's dinner! Smokey suggested they looked for a safe place to spend the night, they would search the way home, early in the morning. To look for the caves he once heard, Smokey led them towards the rocky hills.

After a tiresome climb, they found a dark hole on the side of a hill. It looked scary though; could it be the den of a large animal? Would they be trapped inside? Everyone knows that cats are very suspicious about being trapped. But, Smokey showed no sign of fear, he just walked in. Tidy and Lily kept a safe distance behind, feeling lucky to have a brave sibling to go in first.

It was pitch black inside the cave but, since cats can see in the dark, they had no fear of darkness. They moved slowly, displaying the unmatched patience of cats. Water was seeping on the walls of the cave. While they crossed a narrow passage they were smeared with mud. Everyone knows that cats really dislike being wet or dirty. So they tried to shake it off but still did not stop.

At the end, the hole widened into a small cell where they could rest. Of course, they had to clean themselves first, using the natural brushes on their tongues. Even though they were exhausted, their sleep was not deep. Everyone knows that cats only have cat-naps. While their eyes are shut, their ears keep the guard duty. Once they gained back their strength, they searched the room and discovered a hidden passage behind the rocks. Smokey insisted to check it out before they left.

Inside the passage was like the mouth of a huge monster. Tooth-like structures were hanging from its roof. Water was dripping from the tips of these stalactites. It looked scary to walk inside. But they could see light at the end. Lilly wished it to be another way out; she just couldn't wait to go back to her sweet home.

When they approached the light, they heard splashing of water. Then, the hole got larger and larger as they walked. Finally they entered an enchanting chamber; it was completely white from the floor to the ceiling. There was an underground stream creating small ponds and travertine terraces. There were huge mushrooms sprinkled near the rocks. High on the walls, narrow openings were permitting the light in, but they were too high even for a cat to climb.

At one corner, Smokey noticed a pile of trunks like some hidden treasures of the pirates. Lilly got very nervous, they had to leave immediately to avoid an encounter with the pirates. She said they could face punishment like thieves; Everyone knows the unjust reputation of cats!

But, Smokey tried to convince her otherwise: wouldn't they deserve a trophy? and what if they could find a nice present for their mommy? They could not resist approaching the trunks as Lilly mumbled the proverb everyone knows: "curiosity kills the cat!"

Smokey was the first to climb on the black trunk. When he jumped on the trunk, he lifted up so much dust that Tidy and Lilly started to cough. Even though they found it disgusting, they were pleased. Because this also showed that nobody must have touched these chests for a long time.

Smokey sniffed it for a while to guess what might be inside. And, as soon as the rusty locks allowed the lid to open, BAAMM, there was a huge blast. Kittens jumped away behind the rocks, their little hearts were pounding. The whole cave was being shaken by constant blasts. After taking control of his fear, Smokey looked and screamed "fire works!"

They slowly came out and watched this marvelous fountain of lights. The cave was filled with smoke. Soon, Smokey was commissioned to close the lid. Because everyone knows that cats cannot stand big sounds.

Now, they were even more curious about the contents of the trunks. Tidy was hesitant to open another one. She showed extraordinary courage to unlock a silver trunk. As soon as she did, the glitter dazzled their eyes. As the sunbeam touched the precious stones inside the trunk, hundreds of rainbows were created on every surface of the white chamber. The cave was turned into a wonderland of lights. Unfortunately, they could not enjoy the color show. Because, everyone knows that cats cannot see colors.

Now, Lilly had enough courage to open the lid of a pink trunk. As soon as she did, bubbles of all kinds and sizes started to pop out and float in the air. Once they filled up the room, they started to escape from the openings high on the walls. Outside, the forest animals were startled by the flow of bubbles coming from the hills.

The kittens couldn't stop giggling. They were running up and down to catch the bubbles; it was fun to make them burst in small splashes. Finally, they got tired and stopped the chase by closing the lid.

They were having so much fun, they completely forgot about their worried mother back home. Suspecting her kittens were lost, she had long headed to the forest. She was sniffing and searching the forest to detect a clue of them; she was also rubbing her back to the trees to mark them with her scent.

When the kittens realized how much they missed their mother and their home, they search the way out. They've agreed to keep the cave as a secret to come back again. Next time, they would ask their mother to come along too.

When they were back in the forest, Lilly was the first one to detect mommy's scent and they followed it all the way home. When they were united, they started to caress each other with their tongue-brushes and the pleasant sound of purring cats filled up the forest.

After that adventure, every now and then, the kittens traveled back to the cave to be startled and amused again. The cave stayed as a family secret only to be shared by their future generations, for hundreds of years.

And no one ever found out who put the trunks there in the first place.