The old tower clock in a small hill town had a strange habit. Every night, at exactly 3:07, it stopped, and every morning Mr. Varga, the clockmaker, had to climb all the stairs to start it again. The mayor, who hated being late, complained to anyone who would listen.
Nina, who was ten and very curious, decided to solve the mystery herself. One cold night she took a flashlight and a flask of hot chocolate and hid in the square. For hours nothing happened. Then, just after 3:06, she heard a soft scratching sound. A thin gray cat was climbing through a broken window in the tower. It walked across the machinery, settled on the heavy pendulum weight, and a moment later the clock stopped.
Nina smiled. She did not chase the cat away. Instead, she asked Mr. Varga for a basket, and together they mended the window and put a soft cushion beside the pendulum. From that night on the clock kept perfect time, and the whole town called the cat Minute.