Chapter 3 - The Clock's Secret

Vinnie looked at Ursula. "Do you think you could try to tune it to match the notes?"

Ursula puffed up with pride. "I can certainly try."

With remarkable precision, Ursula turned the dial to match the sheet music. At first the radio remained silent, then a faint hum emerged. As she reached the final note, the radio sprang to life with a tinkling melody. The tune was hauntingly beautiful.

When the last note faded, a hidden panel on the top of the radio slid open, revealing a small brass cylinder.

"Another hiding place!" exclaimed Columbus.

Steeeve carefully lifted it out. It was engraved with the same curious symbols that adorned the key.

"It appears to be a message container," he said, unscrewing one end and tipping out a tightly rolled piece of paper.

Sarah Jessica Llama leaned in. "Another clue!"

Steeeve read aloud:

"Time keeper in the corner tall,
Counting seconds for one and all.
Behind its face where none can see,
Lies the next step of the mystery."

"A clock!" said Bjorn. "The grandfather clock in the main hall."

Just then, the distant chime of the clock echoed through the building, marking the half-hour.

"Let's hurry," said Vinnie. "To the grandfather clock!"

They made their way through the moonlit building. The clock towered above them, its face glowing faintly.

"We need to access the area behind the clock face," said Ursula.

Columbus sniffed around. "There's something different here. Smells... mechanical."

"Try the key again," said Steeeve.

Ursula inserted the key into a hidden keyhole below the clock face. With a click, the glass front swung open.

Bjorn fluttered up. "There's a leather pouch behind the face. I can't reach it."

Beatrix flew up. "It's too heavy for me."

"Allow me," said Moira Rose grandly, stretching up to retrieve the pouch with her teeth.

Inside was a folded parchment.

"It's a map!" gasped Milo.

Steeeve spread it out. "It shows this building—but with rooms we've never seen. And look—'Beneath the floor where ideas bloom, Find the entrance to the hidden room.'"

"The jungle corner!" said Beatrix.

"Then that's our next stop," said Vinnie.

None of them noticed the shadow watching from the window.

The crews arrived at the jungle corner—a leafy oasis of potted plants where humans brainstormed ideas by day. At night, it felt like a miniature forest.

"The map says there’s something strange about the floor here," said Steeeve.

Columbus and Milo sniffed around. "It’s different here," Columbus barked.

"The grain doesn’t match," added Steeeve.

Ursula traced the edge of the boards. "There’s a gap. I think this panel moves."

"Check the planter," suggested Vinnie.

Moira and Sarah Jessica Llama nudged it. "It’s on wheels."

With combined effort, the crew rolled the heavy planter aside. A brass ring was hidden beneath.

"A handle!" said Bjorn.

Ursula pulled. The floor lifted, revealing a hollow containing a brass box.

"Try the key," said Beatrix.

Ursula unlocked it. Inside was a sepia-toned photo of the Lounge dated June 12, 1923.

"Turn it over," said Bjorn.

The back read:

"Where time stands still but memories flow,
The lens captures what we wish to show.
Find the box that sees the light,
To reveal the path hidden from sight."

"A camera!" said Vinnie. "To the display cabinet!"

On their way, they heard the typewriter again.

"Time grows short," read Sarah Jessica. "Make haste, guardians."

At the camera display, Beatrix found a large box camera engraved with familiar symbols.

"That’s our camera," said Steeeve.

Ursula opened a drawer beneath it and found a film canister. Inside was a transparent sheet of acetate.

"A map overlay!" said Vinnie.

Placed over their existing map, it revealed a hidden passage behind a bookshelf.

Columbus and Milo found the trigger plate. Ursula used the key, and the bookshelf swung open.

A narrow passage led down into darkness.

"We need to see this through," said Vinnie.

With Steeeve’s glowing laptop leading the way, the crews descended into the unknown.

The narrow passage behind the bookshelf was dark and dusty, with cobwebs clinging to the corners. Steeeve led the way, his laptop screen casting an eerie blue glow over the stone walls. Vinnie followed close behind.

"Watch your step, everyone," cautioned Bjorn, fluttering just above their heads to avoid the dusty floor.

"Judging by the undisturbed dust patterns and the extensive cobweb formations," said Steeeve thoughtfully, "I would estimate it’s been many decades since anyone last came down here."

Beatrix buzzed nervously. "It's rather spooky down here."

"Fear not, tiny airborne companion," declared Moira Rose dramatically. "We face this subterranean mystery as a united collective!"

The passage sloped gently downward until it opened into a small circular chamber. Steeeve held his laptop higher, illuminating the space.

"Oh my!" gasped Sarah Jessica Llama.

The chamber was like a miniature version of The Curious Lounge above—tiny furniture, bookshelves, and old-fashioned creative tools, all perfectly sized for small creatures. A thin layer of dust covered everything.

"It's some sort of... hideaway," said Ursula.

Columbus and Milo sniffed around. "Other animals have been here!" barked Columbus. "The scent is very old."

In the center stood a small round table with a miniature typewriter—an exact replica of the one upstairs.

"Another typewriter!" exclaimed Vinnie.

They gathered around the table. A sheet of paper in the small typewriter read:

"Welcome, new guardians, to the creative heart of The Curious Lounge. For generations, we have watched over this special place... Now the task falls to you."

"So there were others before us," murmured Sarah Jessica.

"And this was their meeting place," said Steeeve.

On a shelf, they found framed photographs of stuffed animals gathered in the same chamber, dated 1973.

Columbus found a large leather-bound book. Ursula opened it: a journal. One entry read:

"April 18, 1998 — The Creative Heart continues to function well... but may need a more permanent solution."

Steeeve pulled back a velvet curtain, revealing a strange machine: gears, levers, and a crystalline sphere at its center.

"What is it?" asked Milo.

"This must be the Creative Heart," said Ursula. "It enhances creative thinking. But it’s dormant."

"The journal said it needed winding," added Vinnie.

Columbus found a drawer. Inside was a parchment with instructions: they needed a Resonance Key, a Creativity Crystal, and a Connection Circuit.

The miniature typewriter typed again:

"The key lies with those who keep time,
The crystal shines where ideas align,
The circuit hides where knowledge flows,
But haste is needed as night goes."

"We split up," said Vinnie. "Time is running out."

Three teams set off to find the items needed to restore the Creative Heart.