Twelve-year-old Tom carries his grandmother Cecilia’s old silver watch home every day. At 3:15 p.m., it wakes up, glows blue, and a strange cat appears with a warning Tom can’t ignore.
Tom always cut through the little park on his way home from school. On warm days, the grass smelled damp and sweet, and the trees hissed softly when the wind moved through them. But lately, he had one reason to hurry: the silver watch in his sweatshirt pocket.
It had belonged to his grandmother Cecilia. The case was scratched, the strap was worn, and his family swore it had stopped years ago. Tom wasn’t so sure. Every afternoon at exactly 3:15 p.m., the hands trembled, the ticking inside grew quick and bright, and the watch felt warm against his palm, as if it were waking from a nap.
Today, Tom stopped on the bench near the pond and flipped the tiny lid open a crack. Before he could see the face properly, something rustled in the bushes beside him. A white cat stepped out, its fur shining like moonlight, its green eyes fixed straight on Tom’s hand.
Tom froze.
The watch flashed blue.
The ticking turned frantic.
The cat’s tail twitched once, and then it spoke in a voice as thin and dry as leaves skittering over pavement. “If you want the secret, you have to come with me. Right now.”
Tom stared at it, his heart thudding hard in his chest. The blue light brightened around the watch, and somewhere deep in the park, something answered with a low, unfamiliar chime.