Rishi wasn't supposed to be out this late.
But his tuition ran longer than usual, and now he was jogging through the narrow lane behind his apartment, trying to beat the rain clouds rolling above his head.
The wind grew colder. The sky cracked.
He groaned. "Perfect timing, nature."
As he hurried, something shiny near the open drain caught his eye.
Not normal shiny — golden shiny.
Rishi slowed down.
A tiny pocket watch lay on the ground, clean and bright despite the muddy water flowing around it. It looked antique, like something from an old movie. No scratches. No rust. Almost… new.
He glanced around — no one nearby. No reason for a fancy watch to be lying near a gutter.
Rishi hesitated.
His brain said, Don't touch suspicious glowing objects.
But curiosity always won.
He picked it up gently.
The watch felt warm.
He frowned. "Why are you warm in this weather…?"
He pressed the side button.
The lid opened with a soft click.
Inside: no brand name, no numbers, no date, nothing.
Just two silver hands ticking slowly.
And behind the glass, an engraving:
IF IT FOUND YOU, YOU'RE READY.
Rishi blinked. "Found me? What am I? A treasure hunt clue?"
He closed the watch, slipped it into his pocket, and continued home. The rain never came. The sky calmed down as if it changed its mind.
---
His Usual Evening
Home was the same chaos as always.
His brother yelled from the couch, "You're late again!"
Rishi tossed his shoes aside. "Tuition ended late, chill."
His mom asked about homework.
His father asked about marks.
His brother teased him about not talking to people.
Everything was normal.
Almost boring.
Except the strange weight of the pocket watch in his pocket.
At dinner, he kept tapping the watch inside his hoodie, wondering why it felt heavy even though it was tiny.
His mother noticed.
"What's in your pocket?"
"Just… a thing I found."
"Throw it if it looks suspicious."
He didn't reply.
Later, after finishing homework, he lay on his bed and took the watch out again.
It ticked normally.
Quiet, clean, harmless.
He put it on his bedside table and drifted to sleep.
---
The Nightmare
It started quietly.
He was standing in the same narrow lane.
Everything was normal at first.
Then he felt someone behind him.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Still.
Watching him.
He tried to turn, but his legs wouldn't move.
The sky darkened suddenly.
The silhouette whispered —
not in a voice, but in the sound of ticking.
Tick… tick… tick…
The pocket watch on his bedside table began glowing in the dream.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The ticks grew louder.
Faster.
Almost panicked.
The silhouette lifted a hand and pointed at him.
And suddenly the world around him cracked like broken glass.
He fell—
---
Yesterday
Rishi woke up with a gasp.
Sunlight.
Normal morning sounds.
His heart pounding.
He sat up slowly.
The pocket watch was still beside him on the table…
but the time on it was exactly the same as yesterday morning.
He checked his phone.
The date.
The notifications.
The missed calls.
Everything… was yesterday.
His breath caught.
The nightmare hadn't pulled him into fear.
It had pulled him back in time.