"The Clockmaker's Secret" In a quiet village nestled between rolling hills and whispering woods, there lived an old clockmaker named Elias. His shop, a small brick building with ivy crawling up its walls, stood at the edge of the cobbled square. Every morning at exactly seven o'clock, Elias would unlock the door, sweep the front step, and light a small lantern inside the window. What made Elias unique wasn't just his craftsmanship—it was the mysterious ticking sound that echoed from the back room of his shop, even long after he had gone home. Curious villagers often asked about it, but he would only smile and say, “Some timepieces never stop.” One rainy evening, a young girl named Mira ventured into the shop, drawn by the gentle chimes and polished brass on display. “Why do your clocks sound different from others?” she asked. Elias leaned in, his eyes twinkling. “Because every clock here holds a story. Some tell time, others tell truth.” As thunder rolled outside, Mira followed Elias to the back room. There, on a mahogany pedestal, stood a clock unlike any she had seen—its hands spun backward, and yet, everything around it felt… still. “That,” Elias whispered, “is the one clock I never made—but it keeps finding its way back.”