The Clockmaker’s SilenceA Story by Piyush Chapter One: The Forgotten AlleyThe alley was never meant to be seen. Wedged like a forgotten breath between two long-abandoned buildings—a hollowed-out bakery with ash-colored windows, and an old post office whose warped doors groaned when the wind passed—this passage was hidden from memory itself. The people of Stonebridge hurried past, eyes fixed on familiar paths. The alley remained unnoticed. By most. But that evening, Elara Quinn noticed. The sun was melting behind the slate rooftops, spilling orange and violet across the sky. Elara walked home, her little brother Finn shuffling beside her, chattering