Short Story Kids – THE CLOCK
Short Story Kids – THE CLOCK
It was an old fashioned clock, the one which doesn’t require any batteries for its working . It had a spiral spring in its system,you just wind it up once a day and there you go, it could tick itself to the next day. The frame was well polished and it infact shined whenever the light was switched on. The background on which the dial of the clock was located was blue in colour. It was a simple blue velevet cloth which had gathered much dirt over all these years.The fibres of the cloth were giving away .
The best part of the clock was its shiny silver pendulum which struck once every half an hour sounding like an old clock installed in some centuries old clock tower.The door of the clock was hinged at one end while the other had a tiny lock on it. It had been there all these years. The key to the lock was kept under a cloth spread on the shelf just under the clock. The shelf was made much above from children’s reach. Every morning my grandpa would wind up the clock as soon as he woke up. He would pick the key kept hidden under the cloth,unlock the the clock,move the pointers of the clock adjusting the time , give a little push to the pendulum, lock the door and place the key from where he had taken it, safely.
The clock was very dear to him. He didn’t allow anyone to touch it let alone wind it up. Whenever i used to visit him during my summer vacations , i would watch him follow the same routine day after day. I myself many a times tried to get access to the key by one method or the other,but my efforts rarely bore fruits.I would try placing a chair on a table and then would climb it up,but no matter how hard i try i always failed to reach the key.
“Some day when i grow tall enough i would defiantly wind it up”, i used to think.
Then in one of my visits to his place he let me have access to the keys. In fact I made him to do so, i refused to eat anything till i was given the keys. After around half an hour of drama he picked me up in his arms and raised me up till i was in reach of the keys.Then he taught me how to wind the clock up , i was very excited. The clock struck 7 pm as soon as i was done with my “first winding up ” job. I crackled seven times synchronising with the clock pendulum. He told me that he got the clock in dowry and it was very dear to him. He hated the new battery run clocks like anything.
“teri beeji lai kay aayi si apne naal” ( your grandma brought the clock with her in dowry), he told me as he swiped away tiny dirt particles off the clock glass.
Time passed and i grew taller while he grew old. His body was no more active like it used to be . I was probably in class 5th or 6th when my beeji (grandma) passed away. I was too young to understand what “chali gayi oh” ( She has gone), meant.
Few years later when i visited him again, the clock was missing which came as a total shock to me.
“kithe gayi?”(where did it go?), i asked in utmost surprise.
To which he replied,” teri beeji lai kay aayi si apne naal. naal hi lai gayi.” ( your grandma brought it with her, and she took it along with her)
i stood there totally confused.
” it reminded me of her. all those years i had spent with her would come back in a flash everytime it struck”, and he smiled innocently looking straight into my eyes.
i could see tiny tear drops in his eyes waiting for the gates to open and before it could he left.
I stood in the room where the clock once used to hung. There was no ticking sound anymore. There was no cloth on the shelf which hid the key. There was no clock which shined when the lights were switched on.
AND THOUGH I WAS TALL ENOUGH NOW, I STILL COULDN’T REACH THE CLOCK, AND I NEVER CAN…
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