Hey! I’m Henry Peterson. My friends call me Hen, but, I don’t really have any friends. It’s just what my dad calls me. I’ve never been good at anything. But that all changed the day Amy Parker moved in next door. 

  It was getting close to my birthday and my dad wanted to get me something I could tinker with or something like that. So he bought me a broken clock that was 5000 years old. 

“You like it?” My dad asked.

“Yeah, I love it!” I replied. We walked over to the counter and handed the clerk some money. The clerk looked at me in a strange way. Weird, I thought.

“Hey kid,” The clerk said quietly, “Remember, when it ticks, it tocks.” That was weird, I thought. I spaced out a little thinking about what the clerk said. 

“Hey Hen, you there?” Dad said.

 “Uh, yeah. I spaced out a little” I replied. We walked out of the store and I glanced behind me. The clerk was staring at me. I quickly turned forwards and continued walking.

When I got home I went upstairs to my bedroom. I opened the Curtains and saw a girl about my age, with blond hair walking into the house that was on sale for the past 3 months. I figured I should make a friend. So I walked out there and said hello. 

“Hello” I said as her parents walked into her house. She turned around and looked at me.

  “Hi there” She replied. 

“I’m your next door neighbor, Henry Peterson” I pointed to my house. 

Oh, I just moved in a few days ago. My name is Amy Parker” Amy said.

“Nice to meet you” I said.

Nice clock. Where’d you get it?” She asked.

“The antique store down the street” I replied.

“May I hold it?” She asked politely.

“Sure” I said as I handed her the clock.

She studied the clock and turned it upside down and I noticed something strange. On the bottom of the clock, it read in very small writing, “When it ticks, it tocks.”

That’s what the store clerk told me, I thought. I didn’t know what it meant. I had to think. 

“Do you know how to solve mysteries?” I asked Amy.

“No. And besides, I have to finish unloading. But I can play tomorrow.” She answered.

“Alright, I will see you around Amy” I said while grabbing the clock,

“Expect me to come over early!

“Alright, I will see you around Amy” I said while grabbing the clock, “Expect me to come over early!

  “Ok. Bye!” She exclaimed. I ran inside to think and I think I thought of something.

The next morning, I ran over to Amy’s house to tell her about the clock. After a long explanation, Amy asked, “What does it mean?”

“I think I thought of something last night.” I said.

“What?” Amy asked excitedly.

“Since it’s not ticking like normal clocks do, I think it means that something will happen if it ticks, which in this case means to work. But I’m not sure what “tocks” in this case means.” I said.

“Great thinking.” exclaimed Amy. 

“Do you have any tools?” I asked.  

“I think so” Amy said. 

(1 minute later) 

“Alright. I found some tools from the garage” Amy said. 

“Perfect! This is just what I need!” I exclaimed. 

(5 minutes later)

“Alright, just a few tweaks.” I said as I twisted the screw driver into the clock, “Anddddddddd, perfecto!”

     “Does it work?” Amy asked. A few seconds later, the clock started ticking.

Yes! It works! ” I said.

“Yay. Nice work.” Amy said, 

“I’m getting a little tired and it’s already 9:30 so, you should go home.”

Amy said.

“Ok. Goodnight.” I walked home feeling accomplished, but I had no idea what was going to happen next.

        That night, I fell asleep instantly.

         I woke up at 12:00 and heard a voice coming from downstairs. I tried not to wake up my parents and walked down stairs. The voice started getting louder.  I quickly got out my phone and texted Amy to come right away. She came in 30 seconds later. She tiptoed over to the kitchen door (which was where the noise was coming from) and I saw her. She peeked in and saw nothing. We looked the other way. We heard the voice again. I realized it was coming from the clock in the kitchen.

“Come over here” I whispered.

Amy tiptoed across the kitchen door when something grabbed her and

pulled her in to the kitchen. I heard her scream and I ran after her but I tripped over something on the floor. I crashed on the floor. It started moving and wrapping around my feet. I couldn’t get a good glance at it because it started dragging me on the floor into the kitchen. I looked forward. I saw what it was! I was a long hand coming from...well... I couldn’t really see where it started until I heard Amy scream from the other direction. I turned my head around and could see it now. The hands were coming from the clock. One hand is around me but where is the other one, I  thought. I looked closer at Amy. The other hand was wrapped around her chest. 

“Help!” She screamed in panic. 

“I’m coming!” I yelled back. I kicked the hand and it untied. I got off the floor and ran over to Amy. I pulled the hand and it released Amy. She

tumbled to the floor. I looked behind her. The clock had eyes, ears, and nose. 

“Nice job, Henry.” It said to me.

“Amy, this is what “tocks” means in the riddle. It talks. And it’s evil.” I said In fright. “You guys are very smart.” it said, “ahh. I’ve been frozen since Ancient Egypt times.”

 “What do you want?” I asked.

 `“What I want? You can’t give me what I want.” It replied. Then, it blasted out of the room and created a hole in the ceiling. It shot into the sky like a shooting star. 

 “What now?” Amy asked.

  “We follow it and see what it's up to” I replied. We quickly got our shoes on and rushed outside and looked up. We saw the clock zooming

 Further away. “There!” Amy said while pointing to the sky. We ran right in the direction the clock was heading. We noticed it was heading to the clock tower. Why would it go there? I thought. When it reached the clock tower, it’s hands started expanding. It was reaching for the big clock on the tower. Then the clock started to try to move the hands on the big clock.

“Look! It’s trying to move the hands on the clock tower!” Amy said. It was as if the clock on the clock towers hands were stone. After a minute of

The clock trying to move the big clocks hand, it finally moved. Slowly, but it was working. All the sudden, everything started moving backwards. The moon started moving backwards as well. 

“Oh no” I said.

“HAHAHAH!!!!!” The clock cackled, “Now I can control time!” The clock said. 

“Not for long!” I yelled. Amy leaned towards me and whispered, “Do you actually think that we can stop him?” 

“Yes.” I said, “Yes I do.” I ran towards the clock tower and ran inside. Amy followed. We ran to the top floor. We saw big metal circles that controlled the clock. 

“Amy, help me pull the circles the opposite way that it’s turning.” I said. We pulled and pulled. “This isn't working.” Amy said while panting. We