Here in this one building, lives were slotted, alphabetized in files and fingerprints; the children’s destinies put under seal! Men with blizzard faces and lightning–colored hair, carrying Time in their briefcases, hurried by to serve the clock, to run it with great sprockets and gears. At twilight they stepped out, all smiles, having found new ways to constrict, imprison, or entangle lives in fees and licenses. You could not even prove your death without these men, this building, this clock, and a certificate duly inked, stamped, and signed.

‘Here we are,’ whispered Douglas, all his pals clustered around him. ‘It’s almost quittin’ time. We gotta be careful. If we wait too long it’ll be so shut up there’ll be no way to get in. Right at twilight, when the last doors are being locked, that’s when we make our move, right? As they come out, we go in.’

‘Right,’ said everyone.

‘So,’ said Douglas. ‘Hold your breath.’

‘It’s held,’ said Tom. ‘But Doug, I got something to say.’

‘What?’ said Doug.

‘You know that no matter when we go in, if we go in all together, someone’s going to see us and they’re going to remember our faces and we’re going to get in trouble. It was bad enough with the chess pieces out front of the courthouse. We were seen, and we had to give everything back. So, why don’t we wait until it’s all locked up?’

‘We can’t do that. I just said why.’

‘Tell you what,’ said Tom. ‘Why don’t I go in now and hide in the men’s until everyone’s gone home? Then I’ll sneak upstairs and let you in one of the windows near the clock tower. Up there, on the third floor.’ He pointed to a spot high up the ancient brick walls.

‘Hey!’ said all the gang.

‘That won’t work,’ said Doug.

‘Why not?’ said Tom.

Before Doug had time to think of a reason, Charlie piped up.

‘Sure it’ll work,’ said Charlie. ‘Tom’s right. Tom, you want to go in and hide now?’

‘Sure,’ said Tom.

Everyone was looking at Doug, still their general, and he had to give his approval.

‘What I don’t like,’ said Doug, ‘is smart alecks who think they know everything. Okay, go in and hide. When it gets dark, let us in.’

‘Okay,’ said Tom.

And he was gone.

People were coming out through the big bronze doors and Doug and the others pulled back around the corner of the building and waited for the sun to go down.

Chapter Twenty-Four

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The courthouse was finally completely quiet and the night was dark and the boys climbed up the fire escape on the side of the building, very quietly, until they got up to the third floor, near the clock tower.