Maja stayed at school longer because her mother was on duty. The corridor was empty, only the clock blinked a green dot. At locker number 23 something rustled, like paper in a pocket. Maja leaned over and touched the cold handle. A whisper came from inside. - Psst! No slamming, please. It smelled of chalk and apple, as if someone lived here. Maja opened the door. A checkered pencil case moved on the shelf. A ruler spoke from the side, panting in a thin voice. - 'We're looking for the clock key, it got lost before the long break,' she said. The alarm clock grunted and snapped its spring. - 'Without the key, the bell will ring backwards. - Backwards? - Maja glanced at the clock on the wall. The green dot blinked twice, as if in response. - 'We have until seven o'clock,' whispered the pencil case, 'then we fall asleep. - And the key? - Maja asked. - It rolled under the air vent, the cowardly little one - squeaked the ruler. Maja knelt down and slid her fingers into the gap. Metal rattled, the light above the door flicked nervously. Somewhere in the distance a bell said: tic.... kit... tic... kit. - Do you hear that? He's already practising," muttered the alarm clock. Maja held her breath. The key flashed in the darkness like a little fish. At the same moment someone started turning the door knob. A shadow moved under the door, like the shadow of a large bag. The objects squeezed together at once, as if someone had squeezed the remote control. - Password! - hissed the alarm clock. - Otherwise it wouldn't show up. - What password? - Maja looked at the grille and then at the clock. The clock chimed once, a second and a third time. - Say: meridian forty-three - whispered the pencil case. The handle vibrated a second time.