After school, Lena helped out in her grandfather Felix's clockmaking workshop. The rain rang against the windows and the walls whispered the ticking of hundreds of clocks. On the counter stood a glass shade, and underneath it an old pocket watch. Grandpa winked: "Don't touch it yet, I'll make some tea, Leno." As he went into the back room, something under the lampshade glowed blue. The watch had a star on the lid and the letter L carved shallowly. The seconds hand did not run, but went back a dash every few moments. Next to the crown pulsed a tiny sapphire button, as if it had a heart. A quiet beep sounded from the centre of the metal, as if from a distant station. The bell at the door was silent, yet she heard thirteen beats. She carefully lifted the lampshade; the glass was as cool as morning ice. The air smelled of rain and dust, though the wind did not enter. The metal envelope shook and opened by itself, like a shell. A thread of light emerged from inside and drew a plan of the town. Podgórna Street brightened and the silver number thirteen blossomed next to it. A drawer slid out from under the counter and handed Lena a brown envelope. The envelope bore the date of her birthday and a tiny starburst. The clocks around her went silent all at once, as if someone had turned down all the time. In the glass she saw her own face, but older, with shorter hair. "Don't be late," whispered a voice very similar to hers. Her grandfather grunted in the back and a button flashed just below her finger. Her finger hovered over the crown as the floor trembled slightly, warningly.