He smiled, closed his eyes, and for the first time, Elara didn't feel abandoned. She felt looked after.

One autumn, Elara's grandfather, the village’s oldest clockmaker, grew very ill. He called her to his bedside and handed her a small, tarnished silver compass. "I’m going on a long journey, Elara," he whispered.

Elara lived in a small coastal village where the word "goodbye" was rarely used. When the fishermen left for long, dangerous months at sea, they didn’t say "bye" or "see you later." They said adieu .