The Hour That Should Not Exist
At exactly 12:01 AM, the world stopped.
Elara noticed it through silence. The ticking clock froze between seconds, and outside her window a falling leaf hung motionless in the air.
Thinking she was dreaming, she stepped outside. Cars stood still. A dog remained frozen mid-run. Even the wind refused to move.
Then a voice appeared behind her.
"Careful. Time doesn't like being touched."
An old man sat calmly on a bench that hadn't been there before.
"I am the Keeper," he said. "And you have borrowed time."
He explained that for one hour every night, time would belong only to her — but every borrowed moment carried a price.
Elara didn't understand his warning.