The Mapleshire Mysteries

              The Clockmaker’s Secret

By Elijah Cornagie

Intro:

In every small town, there’s a shop that time forgot — but sometimes, time forgets for a reason.

When the old clock shop on Mapleshire Street reopened after twenty years, people were curious. The wooden sign still read “R. Holloway, Master Clockmaker”, though Mr. Holloway had died decades ago.

Inside, every clock ticked in perfect harmony — except one.

A tall grandfather clock near the back chimed thirteen times at midnight.

Mara Lewis, a freelance reporter, thought it would make a good local story. She interviewed the new owner, a quiet man named Finch, who claimed he was “just restoring the legacy.” But when she returned the next day, the shop was closed — and every clock in town had stopped.

That night, she played back her interview.

At the moment Finch spoke, she heard another voice layered beneath his — faint, mechanical, and urgent:

“Find the key… before time resets.”

The next morning, the shop was gone. Not vandalized, not burned — just gone, as if it had never existed.

Only the empty space where the sign used to hang remained — still swaying in a wind that hadn’t blown in years.

Call to Action:

If you loved this mystery, share it and comment what you think the “key” unlocks. ⏳

Stay tuned for next week’s Mapleshire Mysteries story: “The Woman in the Yellow Raincoat.”

Teaser:

Next week, Mapleshire is drenched in an endless rain, and a stranger in a bright yellow coat seems to appear wherever tragedy strikes. Who is she — and why does no one remember...