𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝘽𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚

The Girl Who Borrowed Time

Chapter 1: The Clock in the Attic

Rain tapped softly against the windows, and the old house was wrapped in an eerie silence.

Waanas stood in the attic of her grandparents' home, surrounded by dusty boxes, forgotten photographs, and shelves filled with books that had not been touched in years.

It had been six months since her grandmother passed away, yet her presence still lingered in every corner of the house.

"Take anything you'd like to keep," her grandfather had told her.

As wannas searched through the attic, something caught her eye—a small wooden box hidden beneath a stack of old blankets.

Curious, she brushed away the dust and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a silver pocket watch.

It was beautiful.

Elegant.

Unlike anything she had ever seen.

On the back, a message was engraved in delicate letters:

"Do not meddle with time, or time will meddle with you."

Wannas laughed softly.

"Grandma and her mysterious antiques..."

Without thinking much of it, she slipped the watch into her pocket.

She had no idea that her life had just changed forever.

---

That night, rain continued to pour outside.

Unable to sleep, wannas sat by her bedroom window, turning the watch over in her hands.

As she examined it, her thumb brushed against a tiny hidden button.

Click.

The hands of the watch suddenly began to move.

Then—

Everything stopped.

Completely.

The rain froze in midair.

The ceiling fan halted instantly.

A car outside remained suspended in motion.

Even the wind disappeared.

Wannas's breath caught in her throat.

"What... what's happening?"

She rushed downstairs and stepped outside.

The entire neighborhood was frozen.

People stood motionless.

Birds hung in the sky like painted figures.

The world had become a photograph.

Wannas's heart pounded wildly.

Then she heard something impossible.

Footsteps.

Slow.

Steady.

Approaching.

In a world where time itself had stopped.

She turned.

A young man stood a few feet away.

He looked about nineteen or twenty.

Dark hair.

A white shirt.

Eyes filled with a sadness that seemed centuries old.

And unlike everyone else...

He was moving.

He stared directly at her.

"Did you activate the watch?"

Wannas stepped back.

"Who are you?"

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he answered quietly.

"My name is Adam."

Wannas frowned.

"How are you moving? Everything is frozen."

Adam's gaze shifted toward the watch in her hand.

"Because I'm trapped by it too."

A chill ran down her spine.

"What does that mean?"

A faint, bitter smile crossed his face.

"It means you've awakened something that has been sleeping for a hundred years."

The frozen raindrops shimmered around them.

The silence felt heavier than ever.

"And now," Adam continued softly,

"time will never leave you alone."

Before wannas could respond, the watch suddenly grew hot in her hand.

A sharp pain shot through her chest.

Then a whisper echoed beside her ear.

Cold.

Invisible.

Ancient.

"The first debt has been collected."

Wannas froze.

"What debt?"

But the whisper was gone.

And for the first time that night...

She felt truly afraid.

Because deep inside, she knew this was only the beginning.

To be continued... ✨