Watch of the Future

The beginning of summer in Krakow usually meant a time of monotony for Iga - long days, short nights, heat pouring from the sky and grey blocks of flats that offered no respite. But on that day, when she was sneaking through the Planty park to escape the house for a while, she had no idea that only one inconspicuous step separated her from the ordinary. Strolling down Grodzka Street, her attention was drawn to a small, dusty antique shop she passed almost every day, but never went inside. This time, however, something - perhaps a shadow in the shop window, or perhaps the reflection of an old clock - made her decide to take a look. Inside, she was greeted by the smell of old books, wood and.... something difficult to identify. The shop was cluttered, the twilight distracted only by the single rays breaking through the dirty windows. She moved towards the shelf with the watches, because she had always liked the intricate mechanisms and the quiet ticking. There, at the very end, lay it - a small pocket watch with an intricately engraved envelope. The clock seemed to pulsate, although its hands were stuck motionless. Iga reached for it and suddenly felt a chill run through her hand. As soon as she wrapped her fingers around the metal, the shop became completely quiet - all too quiet. A strange sound, like a distant heartbeat, was now coming straight from the watch. The hands moved rapidly forward, spun a few times, then stopped at exactly 13:17. There was a rustling sound behind her, as if someone had moved a heavy curtain. Iga turned around - and that's when she saw that the shop, which had just been full of dust and junk, looked completely different. Clocks from unfamiliar eras hung on the walls, and the light outside the window had a strange golden hue. In the mirror next to the door, an unfamiliar silhouette was reflected, looking at her with an intensity she had never experienced before. Could it be that she had moved back in time? Or is she just dreaming? Before Iga could ask any questions, the stranger made a gesture towards her, the meaning of which she could not decipher. The watch in her hand began to pulsate again, and the air thickened, as if the shop was just a vestibule to something much bigger....