The Clockmaker’s SecretEleanor Hadley had always been drawn to antiques, but nothing captivated her like the ornate clock she found in a dusty corner of an old shop. The shopkeeper, an elderly man with piercing blue eyes, hesitated before selling it to her.The DiscoveryBack home, Eleanor examined the clock closely. The craftsmanship was exquisite, its golden gears shining despite the passage of time. But as she wound it up, something strange happened—the second hand moved backward.Then she blinked.The room had changed.The Time ShiftEleanor found herself in the same house, but decades earlier. The wallpaper was fresh, the furniture unaged. Through the window, she saw people in 1920s attire walking the cobblestone streets.Panic gripped her. Had the clock transported her through time?The ClockmakerDetermined to find answers, she searched for the shop where she had bought the clock. But in this era, it was not an antique store—it was a bustling workshop. Inside, she found the same elderly man, unchanged, carefully assembling another clock.“You’ve come sooner than I expected,” he said, without looking up.Eleanor’s heart pounded. “What is this clock? What have you done?”The man finally met her gaze. “I am the Clockmaker. This clock was never meant to fall into your hands.”The ChoiceHe explained that the clock could manipulate time, but at a cost. If she stayed too long in the past, she would never return.With seconds to decide, Eleanor gripped the clock and wound it forward.The world blurred.She gasped as she found herself back in her living room. But something was different—the clock was gone. In its place was a note:Time is fragile. Use it wisely.
