[Instrumental Intro – original piano theme, unhurried, no vocals] [Verse 1 – FRANZI, intimate female solo] Between the bills and faded letters, a tiny brass key caught the light. I'd kept it through a thousand mornings, and never wondered why. A white tail flashed across the pavement; I followed through the rain. The wall I'd passed a thousand times had opened up again. [Instrumental – piano alone, let the motif breathe] [Verse 2 – FRANZI, soft wonder turning to sorrow] The garden stood without its laughter. The roses bowed their heads. The Hatter's chair was empty, his hat lay where he'd left it. Two cups were waiting on the table; one still breathed a thread of steam. No one said, "You're late, dear Alice." Not a sound among the trees. [Chorus – tender and questioning, restrained strings] Did I stay away too long? Did you stop waiting by the door? I thought the clocks would hold their breath until I came once more. Did I stay away too long? The silence wouldn't speak to me. And if there's no one here at all, who poured the second cup of tea? [Instrumental – piano and distant violin, generous space] [Verse 3 – FRANZI, more grounded, honest] I learned to live by lists and numbers, to measure what a day was worth. I learned to walk right past the wonder and call it ordinary life. I folded up my foolish questions, put every dream upon a shelf. And in that quiet, empty garden, I wondered if I'd left myself. [Pre-Bridge – intimate, almost spoken melody] Maybe you didn't disappear. Maybe I was the one who turned away. [Bridge – exposed voice, nearly silent piano] Beneath the table lay a pocket watch, its face a spiderweb of cracks. I turned the hands between my fingers and begged the hours to come back. Nothing moved. I set it down. I let the room be what it was. Then, quiet as a held-back breath, I heard the old watch tick again. [Instrumental Rise – original piano motif, chamber strings swell] [Final Chorus – FRANZI, fuller emotion, never belted] Did I stay away too long? Perhaps you couldn't wait forever. I can't bring back the girl I was or put those years together. But I can love the things I've lost without asking them to stay. And if the clock is moving forward, maybe I can do the same. [Outro – near-whisper, then piano alone] I left the second cup untouched. I took the key with me. Somewhere behind the closing door the clock began to tick. Not backwards. Just the next step. [Instrumental Outro – original piano theme, quiet unresolved fade]
