Deep inside the tall mahogany grandfather clock, Maggie the tiny toy sedan sat on her brass parking spot.

Maggie was the official Light-Polisher, and her job was to keep the clock’s nightly lantern shining bright for the library.

But tonight, something felt quiet and gray because the main Star-Gear had lost its golden sparkle.

It turned with a slow, heavy clunk instead of its usual happy hum, causing the lantern light to flicker like a sleepy candle. Maggie revved her little engine, her wheels spinning in place as she looked up at the dim, dusty gears high above her home.