"Nic... Nicolas."
Sierra was trying to wake Nicolas up. But he was sleeping without any worry in the world in Claire's home.
"Why isn't he waking up?"
Sierra goes back and told Claire.
"Granny. He isn't waking up."
"Let him rest. He will wake up soon."
"We should go eat breakfast."
"Oh... okay."
Sierra was hesitant to eat alone with Claire.
...
"So what about you?"
"what?"
"How did you end up here?"
"It's a bit complicated."
"Umm"
"Grandma, didn't you try to solve the riddle."
Claira paused for a second and said.
"I didn't need to."
"Why?"
"There was nothing for me in the outside world."
"What about Jonathon?"
Claire lowered her eyes. Her fingers tightened around the cup. Then she answered as calmly as she could.
"The letter was not from him"
"What?"
"Then, who else could it be from?"
"I don't know."
"Then what about Steve?"
Tears ascend from her eyes as she tearly say.
"I... I don't... Know."
Sierra stands up from the table to calm her and wipe her tears down .
"Calm down granny. don't cry . We will find out about him."
Sob sob.
Claire didn't say anything for some time.
"Thank... you for your consideration"
after that Claire calms down.
Footsteps echoes from the corridor. Nicolas entered rubbing his eyes and came for breakfast.
He entered the room
"Morning." he said.
Sierra said with a frustrated face.
"It's not morning."
"What? How much did I sleep?"
"Around 11 hours."
Nicolas was gobsmacked
"11? What?"
"Oh.. okay."
He notices the frustrated look of sierra.
"Why are you looking frustrated?"
"It's the riddle."
"Didn't I take that diary yesterday?"
Sierra lifts her hand to show the diary.
"I took it in the morning."
"Ohh. So, why didn't you wake me up?"
"I tried. But you didn't woke."
Nicolas has no counter for that.
"...Okk"
"Btw what did you dechyper about the 1st riddle last night."
"Just enough that it is not under the stone."
"It's not called deciphering. It's assuming."
"..."
"sit first."
"Let's try all things and places for both."
"Where is granny?"
"She is taking a nap."
"hmm. Let's start."
Sierra starts reading
"Truth does not... Sleep beneath the stones."
"Truth... I guess It's the thing we need to find." Nicolas continues "sleep should be for hidden. And stones for stones."
A thought suddenly came to Sierra and she speak unconceously.
"Stones means underground."
"Yeah. That's right underground... Underground."
"One line is solved."
"Next one is "It lingers beyond forgotten hours." "
Nicolas thought.
Is it about past?
"I guess it's time related."
"Is it saying to do thing in a specific time?"
"I guess. Then what time it should be?"
Sierra lifts the diary and reads again.
"Next one is "seek where... time no longer moves." "
"Time no... longer... moves? Is there a place like this?"
"It is impossible to stop time."
Nicolas hesitated but then accepted it.
"Yeah, but... Ok, this is something else."
"It should be a place. Location." She continues "how do we know the time?"
Nicolas said hesitantly.
"...From sky... and Watch"
She snaps and said.
"That's it! Clock.. theres a clock in this town. I saw it. I just don't remember where."
"It was..."
Claire heard them arguing in her room and come there entering she asked :
"What are you kids doing ?"
"Granny, do u know what this phrase could mean."
Sierra points at the line in diary.
"Oh"
"If you're talking about stopped time… there is only one place."
"It should be the clock tower at the church."
"Yeahh. That's the location of second object."
"Wait... Wait... Wait... Calm down."
Nicolas tried to stop her.
Sierra was looking like a kid with passion. Who is trying to find hidden treasure.
"You need to calm down. It's already past afternoon." He continues "and the clock tower is opposite to the town. I guess you forgot night is very sweet thing in this town."
He teasingly told to not offend her.
She replied.
"Yeah. Yeah. I know. I was just going with the flow."
"You were flying now. Not flowing."
"What are you talking about? I was just seeking the objects location as fast as possible."
Nicolas asked.
"Did you love treasure hunt in your childhood."
Sierra said hesitantly.
"...yeah, How... do you know?"
"I can tell."
Nicolas said while looking at her.
Claire needed to come forth. To calm them down.
"Kids, calm down. You can go Tommorow morning."
"You should both use that time to dechiper the riddle fully."
Sierra sat down.
"I guess you are right?"
"Yeah... what was the next phrase?"
Sierra reads.
"It is "And where no voice reaches the sky." "
"Should It be in a isolated place."
"It should be otherwise. Voice will be heard."
"It was so easy. Man"
Sierra takes notes after every line gets dechypered.
"Last line is
"Do not look for what remains—
Look for what still watches." "
"Isn't it to weird for a line. Do not look for what remains?"
"I guess..."
Nicolas paused.
"What?"
"I need time to guess."
...
Sigh
"Does it mean... we shouldn't focus on what is remaining. Then what about the line" look for that still watches?" "
sierra hums a sound and said.
Hmmm
"It should be a living."
"Human won't live till now."
"Yeah"
"Then what about the turtle."
"I guess your mind became like turtle shell after coming in this town."
Nicolas asks.
"Why?"
"Where does that turtle came from?"
"They live atleast 400 tto 500 year."
"It doesn't mean we are looking for a turtle." She continues "what does a turtle has to do with it?"
"Oh.. okay."
Nicolas says while raising his hands half.
"We can find it tomorrow at the clock tower and see what it can depict amand mean."
"Yeah. It would be better than making any assumption related to turtle."
Sierra said with teasing tone and move forward to her room.
"Hey. It was genuine."
Nicolas said from afar after sierra started moving.
"It's night."
"We didn't notice it while solving riddle."
"I need to get out from here as soon as possible."
NEXT DAY
The night sky was gone and in its place the bright sun has came.
Nicolas didn't need to be waken up. he was already awake
Nicolas was staring at the window and said.
Claire whispers in Sierra ears.
"Isn't he looking more active than before. He even woke up before us."
Nicolas woke up before both the Sierra and Claire.
Sierra gave a weird look at his pose.
"I guess sleeping eleven hours made him feel like he is the main character of a fictional novel..."
Claire asked.
"What does people normally say about it?"
"A mental disorder."
Nicolas turned and said.
"Let's go comrades."
Sierra responded with.
"First, we are not comrades. Second, you are looking weird. keep your posture as normal as you usually do. It's starting to look uncomfortable."
He tightened his chest and said.
"What are you talking about? My posture was always like this."
"Really?"
She stared at him.
Nicolas became anxious.
She still stared at him.
Nicolas return to his posture normal.
"Okay. I Accept defeat."
"Let's go then."
Claire smiles at them.
They didn't understand, why ?
They left the house and arrived at the streets of town.
"Where was the route again?"
"Did you forget it changes. Every night."
"Sorry. My bad."
"But. Where should I find the church or clock tower?"
Sierra answers.
"They are interconnected so we can search for both."
"Okay"
AFTER SOME TIME
Nicolas said.
"Here we are?"
Nicolas stood up while watching the church and clock tower.
Sierra said.
"Let's start the search."
Neither of them noticed—
that clock had no sign or minitature hands***