Before the Stars Went Quiet

In the town of Skylander, when the moon came out, every animal went to sleep. The rabbits curled up. The owls tucked their heads. Even the frogs stopped croaking.

But not Amateur.

He stood at his bedroom window, his short black hair messy from the pillow, his big brown eyes wide open. He looked down at his wristwatch — 8:47 PM.

"That's so much time," he whispered.

His orange cat, Biscuit, yawned from the rug.

"Don't yawn at me," Amateur said. "There are things to DO."

He grabbed his notebook. He clicked his pen. He started writing a list.

The Loudest Quiet

Amateur's list had fourteen things on it.

Number one: build a blanket fort.

He dragged every pillow off his bed. He pulled the big blue blanket from the closet. He stacked, tucked, and arranged — until the whole thing collapsed on top of him with a soft, heavy WHUMPH.

Biscuit, the orange cat, walked right onto Amateur's face.

"Off," Amateur said, muffled under the blanket.

Then, from outside his window, a sound cut through the quiet — loud, slow, and rhythmic.

*Tick. Tick. Tick.*

Amateur pushed the blanket off his head. That wasn't his watch.

Something was ticking out there in the dark.