Olek sat on an old, creaky armchair in his grandfather's basement and turned the torch in his hand. It was raining outside, and the darkness and cold made him have goosebumps. However, Olek did not complain - he loved his grandfather's cellar. It was full of old cupboards whose doors never closed all the way, dusty crates and strange objects. Here he felt like an explorer on an expedition to unknown lands. Grandpa was napping upstairs, leaving Olek with a mission: to find something useful for the school play about inventors. Olek was almost about to give up when he spotted a small casket behind an old suitcase. He opened it carefully and saw the pocket clock inside. It was brass, with an engraved design resembling swirling spirals. The hands stood still. Excited by his find, Olek pressed a small button on the case. In an instant, the world whirled. The clock stood still and everything around Olek began to blur. He felt as if someone had wrapped him in a huge swirling blanket. He heard something like the sound of waves, but he wasn't sure if it wasn't just his own heartbeat. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the basement. He was standing in the middle of a bustling market, full of people dressed in bizarre costumes. Carriages were driving around and the air smelled of bread and smoke. In front of him stood a boy slightly younger than him, with a broad smile and a strange hat on his head. - 'You're new here, aren't you? - asked the stranger. Olek didn't know whether to answer. He realised that he was holding a clock in his hand, the hands of which were now moving slowly. He looked around anxiously, feeling that something amazing was about to happen. Then a man ran out from around the corner calling out: - Catch him! He's got the time clock! Before Olek could do anything, the crowd began to move. The boy in the cap grabbed him by the arm and shouted: - Run after me if you want to go home! Olek hesitated only for a second and then set off as fast as he could, clutching the clock and hoping that he would manage to discover how it worked before someone else found it.