You didn't remember how you had gotten here.

You weren't sure when you came, or why.

The first clear memory you could recall was floating in an abyss of green.

Doors suspended in the air and what you assumed to be monsters below you. The thought of them seeing you made a lump in your throat as you tried your hardest to go in a different direction. You floated away until the creatures were only dots far behind you.

It confused you more than it scared you. You were wondering where you were when a tower on a chunk of land came into view, gears turning all around it. Deciding it was best to aim for there, you flailed your limbs until you landed on the ground after gaining your balance in the air. You stumbled when you arrived at the doors and noticed they were gigantic compared to you. From where you stood, it was like they reached the sky. You tried to knock, but your hand went right through it. You remember shrieking before you yanked it away, feeling it tingle to the bones after it was free.

Even though the sight shocked you, you were more interested in understanding what was going on than being scared. You did it again, only this time, you placed your arm into it.

You laughed and put your entire head through the door, expecting to see a room. The doors opened before you had the chance. What looked like a man was there in front of you, but his lack of legs told you otherwise. He lifted you under the arms until you were face to face, vibrant red eyes were staring into yours.

"Right on schedule." He said, smiling a little. You tilted your head in confusion and wiggled one of your loose tooths with your tongue.

"Are you a Smurf?"

He almost cackled and put you down inside, closing the enormous doors behind him.

"She is a danger to both worlds if she remains here, the entire timeline." A different person said.

Another voice chimed in, "It's too big a risk to take. We should eliminate the anomaly before damage can be done."

It came from two green beings in high collared capes that stared back at you. The single gigantic eye they both had in the center of their heads remained unblinking, reminding you of Jell-O and gummy eyeballs.

You decided they weren't too interesting and turned your attention to the man who picked you up, surprised to see that he had a long beard and was hunched over a little now.

"Huh? Ooh!" You found yourself distracted by his tail that wove against gravity. On your stomach, you laid beneath him and giggled while you waved your hand around the space between him and the floor.

"She isn't a danger."

"But- "

"I know what I'm doing." The Smurf man responded. His tone was soothing yet confident. When you looked up at him again, he had shrunk since your last glance. Right before your eyes, he grew back into the form you had seen him in before. "Now, if you will see yourselves out, I have to accommodate my new guest."

And just like that, the green creatures faded until their forms had disappeared. You wondered if they were ever physically in the room to begin with.

"Always getting me to do their dirty work... Not this time." He looked down at you as you were busy with tugging at his purple cloak, the fabric soft between your figures. The Smurf man cleared his throat, commanding your attention. You peered up at him, eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Hello, little one." His voice remained as even toned as before, but when it was to you, you felt comforted in the presence of someone who seemed so at peace and in control. One of your hands released the cloth from your tight hold and waved at him, a gleeful grin making its way onto your face. "Hi!" You chimed back with enthusiasm.

He chuckled once more and held out his gloved hand to you, "I am Clockwork, master of time."

You shook it, your own smaller in comparison. Your childish joy didn't falter until it was your turn to introduce yourself.

What was your name?

Who were you?

...you didn't know.

You fell silent, both hands dropping to your sides and looking at your feet, deflating at the realization.

Clockwork pat your hair, "Having trouble? It's okay. Your name is (Y/N), you are four years old."

Just like that, you beamed, feeling much better with the extra information. Further in your life, something as simple as that raised more questions about who you were. "Are you my Dad?"

He shook his head and his voice was serious, but a hint of a smile was on his face, "No, but I am now your caregiver."

You put your thumb in your mouth and sucked on it for a second, pulling it out just as quick from the pain it brought to your tooth. "Who were the jelly floaties?"

"Those were the Observants; they employ me to do the work they refuse to."

Clockwork must've noticed your puzzled look as he simplified his explanation, "They're ghosts, like me. Everyone in the Ghost Zone is."

"Are the ghosts bad?"

Such an innocent question. You were far too young to learn the long history of their realm, so he, to keep you from danger or landing in the wrong hands, responded with, "Yes. But, you are safe from them here."

You nodded your head.

You're unable to remember if you had understood what he was telling you as you had poked at a stopwatch hanging off his cloak, "Are you bad?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I know and control far too much to choose a side."

"Hm. Why are you a grandpa now?"

"Because, time affects me differently than anyone else. For me, time moves backwards and forwards and- "

"Why?"

"Because- "

When Clockwork's form switched to a child's again, he was within your reach. When you had placed your fingers over the crack like feature going through his eye, you had squealed with excitement.

What was the point in having a detailed explanation planned when a four-year-old was the only one listening?

You then had focused your attention on his time controlling staff, but he changed back to an adult before you managed to touch it. "Ah, ah, ah, you can't play with that. Something like this is too powerful for you now."

He picked you up and floated over in front of a strange object with moving people on it. You thought it was a television, but you later learned it was his Viewer. "You are the only thing standing between this world and the human world's destruction."

"Oh." This time, however, you remember that you had no idea what he was talking about, and you didn't care either.

"You'll understand one day."