The sun dipped behind the horizon, weaving shadows into the fabric of the world. In this twilight, a tree stood solitary, its gnarled branches decorated with clocks frozen in mid-tick. The forest whispered secrets only the light could understand, but the clocks – oh, they had stories woven into their metal hearts.
Mia ventured forth, guided by the soft hum of forgotten time. With each step, the smell of rust and aging wood wrapped around her like a familiar embrace. The trees spoke not in words, but in symbiotic whispers, urging her deeper into their labyrinth of lost seconds.
"Why do you keep us hidden?" a clock chimed, its voice echoing like distant thunder. Its hands were missing, yet it ticked onward, defying the constraints of time.
Mia knelt beside it, the earth cool beneath her fingers. "I do not hide you," she replied softly. "I seek." The wind rustled through the leaves, a chorus of agreement, and Mia felt the urge to remember what had never been hers to forget.