The Button That Turned Midnight — Every evening, Larkin climbed the spiral stairs of the old time tower with a brass coat button pressed in his palm. Read the full story →
Every evening, Larkin climbed the spiral stairs of the old time tower with a brass coat button pressed in his palm. He wanted to catch the first click of sunrise before the city bells, because the button had been his sea-captain father’s, and it always warmed when morning was close. At the top, wind hissed through the clock gears, and maps of Earth glowed on the floor.
Until one day, the button slipped into a round notch beside the globe-map. Click! The tower shuddered. Because of that, sunlight leaped across rooftops like a golden fox, while moon-shadow chased it over the ocean. Because of THAT, the clock birds burst from their cages at the wrong hour, crying, “Turn it back!” Larkin raced along the rim, following two huge arrow rails as stars winked under his boots.
At last he saw the trick: the button was not a key to stop the spin, but a handle to steady it. He pressed it between DAY and NIGHT until the racing slowed to a grand, gentle turn. The bells rang once, clear as ice. Next time you spot the sun smiling at one side and the moon waiting on the other, listen closely for Larkin’s first click of sunrise.
