For Halloween, the town smelled of smoke and baked apples. Pumpkin lanterns twinkled from the fences and the fog glided low. Nela, dressed as a fox, ran along with Olek the astronaut. - 'Two more houses and we're back,' wheezed Olek with a bucket of sweets. Then Nela found something hard in her pocket. It wasn't a candy bar, but a small brass key. The piece of paper wrapped around it had a purple stain on it. On it was the sentence: Turn in on time. The door is waiting at the Old Post Office. They were both familiar with the place, as it had been haunted in the stories of the elderly. The Old Post Office had stood closed for years. Rumour had it that a clock was ringing there, although there were no hands. - Funny - muttered Olek, but he lowered his voice. - Maybe someone is playing a joke? Nela squeezed the key in her hand and set off for the market. The night was quiet, only the leaves rustled like a whisper. The closer they got, the fainter the street lamps shone. In front of them rose a brick edifice with curtained windows. A stone owl sat above the parapet and a clock hung without hands. At the ramp, near the ground, was hidden a small green door. It had a crescent-shaped opening, perfect for such a key. - Are we seriously doing this? - Olek asked, glancing at the fog. Nela slid the key in and turned it slowly. A quiet ticking came from inside, as if a clock was waking up there. The torch flashed three times and an owl seemed to move its wing. The lock clicked and the door swung open a finger's width. An envelope with an embossed inscription slid out from under the threshold: Nela, NOW. Then someone knocked from inside, once, twice, a third time.