The Midnight Visitor
An elderly craftsman turned the metal key in his front lock and clicked the deadbolt into place. Rows of wooden timepieces ticked softly across the walls as the shop dimmed into darkness.
Hours later, a gray stray slipped quietly through the doorframe into the darkened workspace. It walked past the workbenches covered in brass gears and stopped directly before a tall oak grandfather clock.
The animal sat upright on the wooden floorboards with its chin raised. Its tail tapped against the grain as its eyes tracked the heavy brass pendulum swinging back and forth behind the lower glass.
Dawn broke over the street outside, casting angled gray light across the display counters. The craftsman returned in a flannel shirt and suspenders, stepping behind his wooden workbench to review the grainy monitor of his overnight security system.
The Unsolved Riddle
The tape flickered on the small monitor screen, showing the cat seated motionlessly in the empty room. It had stayed there for hours, never leaving the base of the tall pendulum case.
The watchmaker stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He pushed back his wire-rimmed spectacles and stepped away from the counter to inspect the wooden cabinet.
As he reached his hand toward the brass pull, the latch held shut. Across the room, a sudden rustle near the window frame caught his attention.
The gray cat vaulted over the open windowsill from the sidewalk outside and landed lightly on the floor. It trotted straight past the tables toward the grandfather clock without breaking stride.
Rearing up onto its hind legs, the cat pressed both front paws against the wooden frame. It scratched lightly at the seams, then dropped down and waited beside the old man’s boots.
A Living Secret Behind The Pendulum
The craftsman bent his knees and lowered himself down beside the animal. He slipped a slender key into the clock casing, twisted the lock, and swung the heavy wooden door open.
Tucked directly between the spinning brass gear wheels and the brass weight cylinders was a small, speckled wild bird. It perched upright on a thin metal bracket, fluttering its wings weakly against the surrounding ironworks.
The old man slid both palms carefully around the bird’s feathers, cradling its tiny chest to keep its wings from catching on the sharp brass teeth. The cat remained still, resting its chin on its paws while watching every motion.
Holding the tiny bird securely against his chest, the watchmaker walked toward the street. He parted his fingers toward the open sky, and the bird launched upward from his palms, beating its wings into the morning air.
Turning back inside, the shopkeeper retrieved a soft cushioned bed from a back storage room and set it beside the ticking grandfather clock. The gray cat stepped onto the fabric, circled twice, and tucked its nose beneath its tail as the pendulum continued to swing overhead.
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