“OK, let’s take inventory,” Josh said. “There are some things we know for sure, or at least for pretty sure. We know the riddle exists, and we know — from that storybook — that the solution probably has something to do with turning the darkness outside into light.”
“Yes,” Jenny added, “and we’re also pretty sure that we’ll find the clue we need somewhere here in this room.”
“Right.” Josh was looking around the room carefully. “It’s a pretty boring room, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Jenny said. “But Mr. Symarian said — before he stopped talking — that we were staring the answer right in the face.”
“Wait, say that again.” Josh said.
“I just said that he told us we were staring the answer in the face.” Jenny frowned. “I know, it seemed weird to me too. Rooms don’t have faces, only people have faces. And there are no pictures here.”
“People,” said Josh with a smile, “are not the only things with faces, are they?”
Jenny looked at him, feeling a bit lost. Then all at once she got it.
They both shouted the answer at the same time. “The clock!”