Calvin and Pudge In The Time-Traveling Tree House

The Clock in the Oak

Calvin had always thought of the old oak tree as nothing more than a

climbing spot. Its gnarled branches stretched out like tired arms, and the

thick trunk wore grooves where generations of kids had scrambled up and

down. At the very top, almost hidden by leaves, was a crooked treehouse

that no one seemed to claim anymore. The boards sagged, the paint had

long since peeled, and spiderwebs danced across the windows.

“Looks spooky,” Calvin whispered one late summer evening, squinting up

through the fading light.

Beside him, Pudge—his trusty beagle with ears too big for his head and a

nose that never stopped twitching—let out a sharp sniff-sniff-sniff. Then a

low whine. Pudge’s tail swished with an eagerness that meant only one

thing: he’d found something interesting.

“You smell squirrels, don’t you?” Calvin asked.

But Pudge pulled against his leash, staring straight up at the treehouse