The Clock's Secret

Getting back to the Old Town Square became a nightmare. Streets that Václav knew well suddenly led nowhere. It was like Prague itself was playing tricks on them.

"This can't be right," Václav said, breathing hard. "We've been on this street three times already."

Polly sat on his shoulder and felt the brass pieces getting very hot in the bag. "The alignment has started. Look at the windows."

Every window they passed showed strange star patterns instead of the street. The air around them seemed to shake with energy.

When they finally reached the square, everything was chaos. The construction workers stood frozen while their machines sparked and broke. The woman in black was there too, but she looked confused as compasses spun wildly.

"The tower!" Václav gasped. The entire clock face was glowing bright, and its hands were spinning backwards through time.

They ran up the spiral stairs as fast as they could. In the main room, the huge gears were moving by themselves, but in reverse. The secret door was wide open, showing empty spaces where the brass pieces belonged.

"Quickly!" Polly urged, but when Václav tried to put the first piece back, it wouldn't fit. The mechanism had changed somehow.

"I don't understand," he said desperately. "They should go here."

"Wait." Polly noticed something new. The astronomical charts on the wall were glowing, showing hidden text. "Your grandfather didn't hide these pieces. He removed them to stop the clock from doing something terrible."

Suddenly, the floor began to crack. Golden light poured through, and they could hear sounds from medieval Prague below. Horses, merchants, and strange chanting echoed up from the cracks.

"The Orloj isn't just a clock," Polly realized with horror. "It's a gateway. And we just opened it."