Mila was eleven years old and was drilled with anxiety. It was raining, so she hid in the school library. On her wrist she wore a bracelet she had found on the bus that morning. It was cold and had a tiny dial with numbers on it. When she touched it, the metal vibrated slightly, as if breathing. Ms Nela, the librarian, just looked at it and whispered: "Nice gadget." Mila smiled, although her heart was beating faster. She turned the dial one tooth. The ticking became thick, almost sticky. A drop of water fell from the windowsill like a lazy pearl. A card dropped from the table hung in the air. Mila lifted her finger and touched the droplet without wetting her skin. She understood: she could lengthen the seconds. - Really? - She hissed to herself. - Just not in front of people. The bell rang and the corridor erupted in noise. Antek waved to her from the end of the hall and stumbled. A ball whizzed out of the gymnasium and hit the cup display case. The glass squeaked and the display case tilted towards the crowd. Someone squealed, someone shouted, and Antek had no chance to escape. Mila felt the bracelet tremble, asking her to move. Her thumb hovered over the dial. Then dust sprinkled from the ceiling, and the display case began to tilt even more.... A thin line flashed on the dial, like a seconds hand. Next to it flashed three dots, as if counting the available trials. The noise mingled with the clinking of glass, like a storm in a box. - It's now or never,' she whispered, hearing her own breathing. Her fingernail touched the metal and the dial began to turn.