In the Land of Suspended Time, where the sun hung in the sky like a big, lazy balloon and the rivers giggled instead of flowed, there lived a boy named Miles. Miles had hair the color of toasted marshmallows and a nose that wiggled when he laughed—snort-snort!—like a little piglet.

One morning, as Miles skipped through the Tickle-Tock Forest, his shoes made a sound like squelch-squelch on the mossy path. The air smelled of warm cinnamon buns, fresh from the oven of the Baker Cloud high above. His fingers brushed against something cold and smooth—a pocket watch! But not just any pocket watch. This one was ticklish. When Miles picked it up, it let out a tiny giggle-giggle and its golden hands wiggled like worms in a bucket.

"Ohhh!" Miles gasped, nearly dropping it. The watch’s chain was as soft as his favorite blanket, the one with the little bunnies on it. "Who could this belong to?" he wondered, turning it over. On the back, there was a tiny engraving: "For Tippy, who always loses time."

Just then, a loud SNORRRRT! echoed through the trees. Miles spun around to see a very round, very sleepy badger named Tippy. His fur was sticking up in all directions like a dandelion gone wild, and his paws were covered in what looked like… jam? "Oh dear," Miles thought, "he must’ve been in a hurry." Tippy’s belly rumbled like a distant thunderstorm, and his eyes were half-closed, as if he’d just woken up from a nap that lasted a hundred years.

"Excuse me," Miles said, holding out the pocket watch. "Is this yours?"

Tippy’s eyes popped open wide. "MY WATCH!" he yelped, snatching it out of Miles’s hands. But—OH NO!—Tippy was so excited that he tripped over his own paws and landed SPLAT! in a puddle of what smelled like blueberry pie filling. The watch flew out of his paws and landed right on his nose, where it started giggling again. "Tee-hee-hee!" it went, tickling Tippy’s whiskers.

Miles couldn’t help it—he burst out laughing. "HAHAHA!" His belly shook, and his nose wiggled so hard it looked like it might fly off. Tippy, now covered in sticky blue goo, started laughing too. "SNORT-GIGGLE!" he wheezed, rolling onto his back. The pocket watch tumbled off his nose and landed safely in Miles’s hand.

"Here you go," Miles said, handing it back to Tippy. "But maybe don’t trip next time?"

Tippy grinned, his teeth as white as fresh snow. "Thank you, Miles! I’ve been looking for this everywhere. I even checked under my pillow, but I think I ate my pillow by mistake." He patted his round belly, which made a sound like glug-glug.

Miles giggled. "You’re welcome! But… why do you need a pocket watch if you’re always losing time?"

Tippy’s ears drooped a little. "Well," he said, scratching his head, "I like to know what time it is… even if I’m always late. It makes me feel like I’m not missing out on all the fun." His voice was as soft as the fluff inside a teddy bear.

Miles thought for a moment. Then he had an idea. "What if I help you? I can remind you when it’s time for things! Like breakfast, or naps, or… not eating your pillow."

Tippy’s eyes sparkled like dew on grass. "Really? That would be wonderful!" He hugged Miles so tight that Miles’s toes lifted off the ground. "Oof!" Miles laughed, his feet dangling like a puppet’s.

From that day on, Miles and Tippy became the best of friends. They had picnics where Tippy almost didn’t eat the plates, and they played hide-and-seek in the Tickle-Tock Forest, where the trees whispered secrets and the wind carried the smell of fresh-baked cookies. And every morning, Miles would tap Tippy’s pocket watch and say, "Time to wake up, sleepyhead!" And Tippy would groan and roll over, but he’d always smile.

Because in the Land of Suspended Time, the best moments weren’t about being on time—they were about being together.