The Clocks of Holloway

The Festival of Shadows

The town of Holloway thrived on its mysteries. Nestled between misty mountains, its annual Festival of Shadows celebrated the legend of Elias Holloway, a 19th-century clockmaker who vanished—along with his fortune—after a fire destroyed his workshop. This year, the festival’s scavenger hunt promised a $10,000 prize, drawing teams from neighboring towns. But for childhood friends Jamie, Alex, Sam, and Riley, it was about more than money. It was a chance to prove themselves.

Jamie, a charismatic track star, rallied the group at the town square’s bronze clocktower. We’ve got this, they said, adjusting their neon headband. Alex, armed with a tablet and drone, smirked. I’ve already mapped the clue locations. Sam, whose family ran the local museum, traced a finger over Elias’s journal replica. His last entry mentions time’s embrace.’ It’s a riddle. Riley, ever the skeptic, crossed their arms. Or a wild goose chase.

The First Clue

The first clue, delivered via text, read: Where time stands still, yet marches on, begin where the shadow greets the dawn.

The clocktower!” Sam exclaimed. At sunrise, the tower’s shadow pointed to a plaque at its base. Alex’s drone spotted weathered letters beneath ivy: Seek the hour the fire claimed, where gears rust but memory remains.

The fire happened at 3:33 AM, Sam recalled. Riley found a gear-shaped lock on a sewer grate. Inputting 3-3-3 opened it, revealing a tunnel.

The Underground Workshop

The tunnel led to Elias’s buried workshop. Dusty clocks covered the walls, all frozen at 3:33. Alex scanned symbols on a grandfather clock. Morse code! They translated: Beneath the guardian’s gaze, seven stars blaze.

Sam gasped. The cemetery statue of Elias’s wife, Celeste—she holds a star chart! As they left, Riley noticed a clock ticking. Wait, these weren’t working before… The tunnel rumbled; Jamie yanked Riley out as debris fell.

The Celestial Guardian

In the moonlit cemetery, Celeste’s statue pointed to the constellation Lyra. Seven stars,

Sam murmured. But Lyra has five… Alex checked a star-map app. In 1890, a comet added two ‘stars’ here! They adjusted the statue’s chart accordingly, revealing a compartment with a key and note: Truth lies where time and tide collide.

The old mill, Jamie said. The river eroded its foundation last year.

The Mill’s Secret

At the crumbling mill, the key unlocked a floodgate. Inside, waterwheel gears whirred to life, powering a mechanism that raised a stone slab. Below lay a chamber with a chest—but above it, a pendulum swung dangerously. A test, Sam read Elias’s inscription. Take the treasure, and the mill falls. Leave it, and the truth survives.

Riley stepped forward. This mill’s the town’s historical landmark. If we grab the chest, we destroy it. Jamie hesitated. What’s more important? Money or history?

Alex spotted a lever. “What if there’s another way?” They pulled it, diverting the water. The pendulum stopped, sparing the mill. The chest opened, revealing no gold, but letters and blueprints.

The Legacy Revealed

Elias’s letters confessed the fire was caused by faulty clocks sold to miners, leading to a deadly explosion. His fortune was guilt. The blueprints showed plans to rebuild the town, never fulfilled. He wanted to make amends, Sam said. Riley nodded. The real treasure’s the truth.

They returned to the festival, presenting the letters. The mayor, Elias’s descendant, tearfully pledged to honor the blueprints. The friends won the prize, donating it to restore the mill.

Epilogue: The True Treasure

Months later, the renovated mill housed a museum exhibit on Elias. The friends gathered there, watching gears turn smoothly. No gold, but better, Jamie said. Riley smiled. We saved the town’s soul. Alex snapped a photo. And we didn’t strangle each other. Sam laughed. That’s the real miracle.

As the clocktower chimed, they knew some treasures weren’t meant to be buried—but shared. And in Holloway, time finally moved forward.