Gears & Gateways: A Cozy Fantasy

by Don Jones

For a town that helps travelers plan their journey, how do you handle a clock that starts planning their vanishing act?

Finnian Springdale is North Pointe Common Towne's meticulous, if sometimes overly-complicated, clockmaker. His shop’s unique magic is every clock he sells grants the buyer a brief, meaningful glimpse of their future, ensuring they make the right decisions for the road ahead. But Finnian's own complex mechanical contrivances—like the disastrous Self-Winding Toilet Roll Dispenser—often prove that overthinking is a far greater enemy than any dark wizard.

The town's cozy rhythm shatters when Finnian’s newest Grandfather Clock doesn't offer foresight—it opens a swirling, shimmering gateway to an unknown dimension, swallowing a customer whole. Suddenly, Finnian's greatest work is a source of cosmic chaos, constantly tearing holes in the timeline.

With the town suffering from chronological clutter, and the mischievous Pùca trying to harness the doorways to loot interdimensional gems, Finnian must stop building complex solutions and start embracing the elegant simplicity of time itself. To close the chaos, he must realize that the greatest clarity isn't found in a dozen gears, but in one perfect, tiny tick.

A charming tale about the importance of simplicity, the beauty of a flawless mechanism, and finding the courage to let go of yesterday's unnecessary complications.

Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2026

About the author

Don Jones has written dozens and dozens of books and ebooks on information technology topics, and is perhaps most well-known in that space for his "Month of Lunches" series, published by Manning. Don's recently branched out into topics like business management, instructional design, and self-improvement/motivational, along with launching books in science fiction and fantasy. Don lives in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, is a huge fan of Disney Parks, and loves Figment best of all.