The Laughing Clock Ploy had originally been created to punish sinners whose crimes did not warrant death.
It allowed those sinners to receive the punishment they deserved in their dreams, teaching them that no evil was too small to commit.
The Laughing Clock could also grant beautiful dreams to those who did good deeds.
It gave sweet dreams to those who did good, teaching people not to refrain from doing good simply because it was small.
The Witch who had created this Ploy had done so with the intention of punishing evil and rewarding virtue, and that was indeed how it had been at first.
As for why it had been sealed away, it was because, over prolonged use, the Laughing Clock, as a Ploy, had been too easily tainted by the evil thoughts of sinners.
Within dreams, it had witnessed far too many perverse acts committed by humans.
Over time, the Laughing Clock had become improper as well. Whether used actively or passively, its style would take a sudden turn.
It would recreate the desires of those perverse humans from the past and impose them upon later users.
That was precisely why the Laughing Clock had been sealed.
There had actually been a note on the last page of the instructions, but the person who added it had a wicked sense of humor and written it in tiny letters. Without looking carefully, it was impossible to read.
And Alice had not read through the instructions properly. She had not even turned to the last page.
This story taught them that they had to read instruction manuals carefully, and check for extremely tiny notes while they were at it, or unnecessary trouble might arise.
Alice was mortified now, but everything was proceeding according to the predetermined plot.
She swung her