The Clockmaker's Garden
Chapter One: The Town That Forgot to Hurry There was a quiet town nestled between the shoulders of two forested hills and hugged by a lazy river that shimmered gold at dawn. The townsfolk called it Eldhollow , a place where the clocks ticked just a little slower, where people still nodded at strangers and where time, it seemed, politely asked permission before passing. At the very center of Eldhollow stood a tiny shop with stained glass windows and a swinging wooden sign that read: “Ellis Thorne: Clockmaker” . Inside, the ticking of clocks played like a symphony, echoing through the scent of cedarwood and lavender oil. The man who owned the shop, Ellis, was known for his calm smile, messy curls, and the way his fingers moved like music when fixing old timepieces. But no one knew that Ellis could hear more than ticking. He could hear time whisper. Chapter Two: The Girl With the Wounded Voice On a rainy spring afternoon, just as Ellis was polishing the brass rim of a grandfa...