Time Street Clockmaker
The rain was pitter-pattering against the windows of the old Time Street building as Maja and Tom sneaked through the rusty gate. The mysterious signboard reading 'Clockmaker - repairing every time' had always tempted them with its strangeness, but today, during the storm, the shop's appearance was even more intriguing.
- Do you dare to go in? - asked Maja, clutching her grandfather's dilapidated watch in her hand.
Tom nodded, mustering up his courage. The quiet ringing of the old doorbell resounded inside as they crossed the threshold. The shop was semi-dark, and the walls were cluttered with clocks of all kinds - from huge standing clocks to tiny pocket watches that seemed to move with a rhythm of their own.
Behind the counter sat an aged man with silvery hair. He did not lift his gaze from the cogs he was meticulously cleaning.
- Are you looking for time? - he asked suddenly, as if he knew their thoughts.
Maja pulled out her watch. - Can you fix it?
The watchmaker took the object, blinked, looked Maja deep in the eyes and smiled enigmatically. - Time never breaks. Time just waits for the right moment.
He led them behind the counter to a door that had not been here before. With hesitation, they followed him down a winding, narrow corridor until they found themselves in a mysterious room full of caskets and pendulums. In the middle stood a huge clock with beautifully engraved numerals and hands that showed no recognisable time.
- 'Every minute is a different world, every beat changes everything,' said the clockmaker in a whisper, and suddenly... he turned the key in the clock's lock.
Maja felt a strange current surging through her body, and the floor beneath their feet rippled. Everything around them began to swirl, colours blending together, until suddenly....
Tom looked stunned - they were in a place that looked like their city, but completely different. The old townhouses gleamed with newness, carriages glided through the streets and there was a bustle of people dressed in 19th century costumes all around.
- Where... are we? - whispered Maja, grabbing Tom's hand.
Before they had time to do anything, the clockmaker was gone and the hands on the big clock in their hands began to move at a dizzying pace. Then a shout rang out right next to them - someone was calling their name, but the voice sounded like it was coming from two places at once. Two paths diverged in front of them, each leading into a different era....
- 'We must decide immediately,' said Tom, looking at the clock, which was already beginning to flicker and dissolve into the air again.
Author of this ending:
English
polski
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