"I'm sorry sir, but there's nothing I can do. There was once a youthening clock that paired with the aging
clock, yet it was destroyed a few years back in a fire. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait it out and hope
the changes aren't permanent. Tell me, how many times were you affected by the clock?".
"Let's see, about 4 times".
The man thought for a moment. "And that was over the past 24 hours? You might still have a chance. The longer
the clock runs uninterrupted, the more of a chance the aging becomes permanent, especially if it is set on a
low setting, anything under about a year every 20 minutes. Short bursts of aging are much more temporary,
although again the longer it's used, the less temporary it becomes. The effects tend to disappear within a
day. Although multiple exposures in a short period of time can increase the chances of not becoming your
original age, it is a definite you will at least return to an age where you stopped using the clock".
Jake let out a sigh of relief. "Well at least I won't be 60 any more. But the first time I used the clock, I
thought it was an alarm. I ended up 20 years older over 10 hours. What are the chances of becoming a kid
again?"
The man shook his head. "I'd say it's extremely slim, sorry. Looks like you're stuck as an adult. For now, I
can do some research to see if there's any way to help you, but I am only an amateur in the temporal arts.
"Temporal arts? You mean people practice time magic or something?" Jake had never heard of such a thing. He'd
would of originally assumed it was ridiculous, but aging 50 years in a day had certainly changed his tune.
"You could say that. I only got into it after a man mistook me for a different clock maker many years back. He
kept me in time stasis for 4 hours until he realised his mistake. Since then, I've been learning about it in
my spare time. In fact, the aging clock was sent to me just last week by a cloaked man, telling me to sell it
to the first person who asked for it, which just happened to be you".
Cloaked man? It sounded ominous. What if he did something to the clock to make things permanent? Jake shook
the thought from his head. "Well if there are temporal arts, then there must be other ways to make someone
younger apart from that clock!".
The man sighed and said "Well you'd think that, but most of the temporal arts focuses on affecting time
itself. Stopping, reversing, speeding, slowing, whatever. It's a very delicate business. The clock was an
extremely rare artifact. It had the power to youthen an individual without affecting the rest of time around
them. Of course it had its side effects, which you boys have already discovered with its counterpart, which is
why it was one-of-a-kind. Nobody wanted to risk getting too young to remember how to work the clock as they'd
disappear from existence. It's difficult to contain the effects of time and focus it on a single subject
without all kinds of problems. People think they can just drink some water and be rejuvenated, but that's
never how it works. However, there are alternatives. It is possible to transfer age between you and a willing
participant, as the exchange of time is equal. There is also a token that is able to adjust reality to include
time displaced individuals such as yourself, as many people make mistakes in time that could shatter the
fabric of reality. However, I think those should only be an option if I can't find anything to help you by
tomorrow. For now, I suggest you go back home and rest. If you and your friend aren't any younger by tomorrow
then come to this address", the man wrote down a home address on a piece of paper and handed it over to Jake,
"because I'm not open on Sundays and I have all my resources at home".
Jake thanked him and went back home, arriving slightly winded and with a dull ache in his knee. To think he
couldn't wait to grow up a few days ago. He found Matt still on the sofa asleep, snoring loudly. Although
irritating, at least it meant he was still alive. Jake went over and nudged him awake. Matt tried to sit up in
shock, but yelled out in pain. He'd definitely broken his back after Jake dropped him. He mumbled to himself
while Jake slowly sat down in the armchair opposite. Jake explained to Matt everything that the man had told
him about their situation. After he'd finished, Matt thought over his words then said "So we'll get younger
but not be kids again?".
"Pretty much but also no. You'll have a much better chance of becoming 10 again, but I was affected by the
clock while I was asleep, so there's a big chance I won't get younger than 30".
"Yeah, but you were awesome at 30. That's not too bad".
"I guess, but I just want to be a kid again. I'm fed up with being old".
Matt nodded his head. He wanted to be a man, but never this old. "So we just wait huh? Can't we wait in bed? I
have never been this tired before in my life. It's only 7 and yet I bet I'll sleep all the way back to youth".
Jake couldn't agree more. He helped his friend off the sofa and up the stairs into his parents room. They both
flopped onto the large bed and fell asleep instantly.