In the town by the river stood the tall brick tower of a former factory. Maja, the fourteen-year-old daughter of the postman, liked to count every swing of it in the evenings. A fortnight ago, her grandfather Felix, a professional watchmaker, disappeared suddenly. He left a key, a notebook and a short entry: "If you are reading this, don't be late". Olek, an older cousin, had been checking every padlock in the area since the afternoon. That evening they found a hidden staircase under the rust, behind a metal slat. The stairs led straight to the inside of the clock, where it smelled of grease and ozone. Behind the dial waited a hidden workshop, full of cogs, cables and sketches. Grandfather's notebook showed a plan with captions: Phase Bridge, Zero Handle, Reset. Beneath the pendulum gleamed a metal box with a window that counted backwards. Next to it stood a lever with a clear scratch on the Start position for a long time. Maja slid the key into the slot until the tiny latch clicked quietly. "Maybe it's just an alarm," whispered Olek, however, watching as if mesmerised. Somewhere in the pipes there was a noise, and the air grew suddenly cooler. On the first page of the notebook was a warning: "Do not start at midnight". Majka's watch showed 23:48, so there was less time than they thought. "Let's wait until morning," Olek suggested, but Maja could see the hands trembling. From the recess of the wall came a soft clattering, like the pulses of a huge heart. Between the sketches, she found the dates and the place: 19.07.1908, Riverfront Outhouse. A dried leaf fell out of the page, the same one she had once received. She remembered her grandfather's phrase: "Time is the tool, not the master of our steps". The tower was silent and the river carried the mist through the empty town square at night. Maja turned Handle Zero and the box began to make a low murmur. Streaks appeared on the dial glass, like circles on water. The phones went off simultaneously, flashing a date that shouldn't exist now. Above them, a footstep sounded, although the tower no longer had a higher floor. Behind the rippling glass stood a figure, raising a hand in a slow gesture. On her wrist was an identical bracelet to Maja's, with a broken bead. The lever twitched on its own, jumping to the Start position, and the air suddenly sparkled.