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1 While exploring an alley in his neighborhood, 11-year-old Reuben
Pedley has found an unusual-looking pocket watch and an old key
carefully hidden long ago in a brick wall. Inside the watch’s case is the
inscription “Property of P. Wm. Light.” Reuben has shown it to a
watch expert named Mrs. Genevieve, who believes that this is not an
ordinary watch for telling time. She’s told Reuben that a mysterious
figure known as The Smoke, who secretly rules the city, has been
trying to find this watch for many years.

2 SO THE WATCH HAD A SECRET.
3 All the way home Reuben could think of nothing else. Except,
of course, The Smoke, thoughts of whom kept him glancing over
his shoulder and quickening his pace. He took the stairs in his
building at such a rate he was left gasping for breath as he staggered

down the hallway to his apartment. Never had its musty, dusky
interior felt so welcoming, nor had he ever been so quick to lock
the door behind him.
4 After wolfing down a hastily constructed sandwich and gulping
milk from the carton (it was well past lunchtime now), Reuben
hurried into his bedroom and opened his backpack. He was going
to figure this out.

5 In moments he had the watch in his hand and an eye on his
alarm clock. He wound up the watch. After fifteen minutes, it
stopped ticking. He tried again, with the same result. A watch that
had to be wound every fifteen minutes was ridiculously
impractical, so of course Mrs. Genevieve was right. The spring
must have been designed for some other purpose—a secret
purpose. But what? And did The Smoke know the secret? Was that

why he wanted the watch so badly?
6 Reuben felt a sudden need to double-check the lock on the
apartment door.

hastily If something happens hastily, it happens with great speed.

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