Elias reached out. His fingers, accustomed to the smooth glass of touchscreens, felt the cold, rough texture of the metal. He grabbed the striker.

Elias was arrested within minutes. As they led him away, his supervisor asked, "Why? It was useless noise."

Driven by a strange compulsion, Elias used his clearance to visit the "Museum of Dead Ideas." There, in a corner gathering dust, sat a heavy brass bell. The placard read: Relic of the Sacred Era: Used to mark time before the invention of the Quartz Chronometer.