The Watch

A fob watch waited patiently upon the oak counter.

A chain of gold lengths shone like the fire of industry from which it was made. The watch itself had a masterly handcrafted pattern of clad bronze leaves engraved upon its back, and a swirling golden pattern on its front, leading to a beautifully cut circle in its centre: a window onto the smooth crystal glass that complimented the perfect white face and the ticking hands that danced across it. Inside it, a message engraved in gorgeous running writing: “To Robert”, completed the piece. The golden hands moved with the purpose and power of a well-oiled machine, ready to click into life with the twist of the handle, and a wind of its spring.

Its father, a humble watchmaker with half-mooned spectacles gazed upon every detail articulately, before giving it away to its new owner. After picking up the watch, feeling it in his thick-skinned hands and running a last thorough look-over with his old-seasoned eyes, the watchmaker smiled decisively. A masterpiece, if he didn’t mind saying so himself.

A tall man in a tailor suited jacket came in the front door, out of the smoke from the bustling high street. The Watchmaker welcomed him, showing him the shining timepiece. The watch felt the smooth but cold glove of the Tailored Gentleman as it was picked up and held in front of appreciative eyes.

‘If I may’ said the Watchmaker.

The Tailored Gentleman passed it over, and murmured his approval. The Watchmaker touched the watch’s knob, and twisted it. The spring took power from its maker’s hands, and the watch’s hands in kind clicked into life, breathing in the elixir of pumped up kinetic-motion.

The Watchmaker placed the timepiece into a small box, surrounded by red velvet cloth, and placed a lid upon it. It was the last time the watch ever saw its maker, for it had begun its journey.

The watch waited patiently in its dark tomb, feeling the motion of the Tailored Gentleman’s brisk walk. It could feel sickening, eerie brown smoke from outside force its way into the box to greet it. It ticked away, feeling every second go by.

Finally, the ceiling of the tomb rose. The Tailored Gentleman looked down upon the watch, smiling at its beauty and his own genius for finding such a gift. He pulled it gently out of its snug red velvet cocoon with his cold gloves, and handed it to a slightly scruffy, but well-dressed man with a thick moustache.

“For the good times Bobbie, I owe you a lot”

The Scruffy Gentleman’s face was filled with gratification. “I’m honoured Will, thank you for such a thought” he replied.

He took the timepiece in his clean, but warm hands and gazed upon it with dark, hazel eyes. The golden chain hung daintily from his fingers. The watch looked at its new master; ticking away with pride at the thought that it would spend its life as this gentleman’s timepiece.

Bobbie clicked the watch open and gazed upon the ticking clock inside, stroking his moustache thoughtfully. “Such detail” he admired, as he ran his fingers over the bronze engraving. Finally, he clicked it shut, slipping it gracefully into his dirty pocket. The watch was again alone the darkness, and made itself at home in its new world.

Bobbie was a hard-working individual, and the timepiece became well-used as it entered into working life. From the time it sat on his bedside table as he woke to the days down at the shipyard as he ordered workers caked in mud, blood and rubbish to bash white-hot rivets into steamships, the watch worked ferociously, alongside its master.

At night though, the watch took on a different role from its working day job as partner to Bobbie. At night, it would become a guardian, a protector and Bobbie’s worst enemy.

After work, Bobbie would often go with associates and friends (including The Tailored Gentleman, among the gentleman the watch recognised) to drink at the local tavern. The watch observed as these men, who only hours ago were channelling their creative willpower into empire- building; were now reduced to brawling creatures of alcohol and testosterone.

The watch would often be caught in the crossfire, frequently falling from the height of tables to greet less fortunate materials of cobblestones and Portland cement. The higher grade bronze scratched and bruised, and with every fall the watch’s springs and cogs weakened.

Bobbie would always leave these events early, stumbling beside the clogged artery of the Thames before navigating the smoggy streets of the Isle of Dogs. He would always come to the same brick walk-up residence, painted with whitewash dirtied from days in the cities smoke. He knocked, and a golden-haired lady in a silk gown would always answer. He and the watch entered together, heading past painting after painting of The Tailored Gentleman.

As always, the watch felt the same delicate whispers echo through the large residence’s crevices: “he’s not here tonight… he’s drinking”. The Lady would lead Bobbie into well-lit bedroom, place the watch from his sweaty, alcohol stained hands upon her bedside, and they’d embrace passionately.

Finally, as its cogs turned, the watch saw them upon her bed, clicking together in time with the watch’s ticking. They would speed up, faster and faster, so fast the watch’s ticking could not follow; and finally they’d break apart.

A few hours later, as day seeped through the curtains, Bobbie would turn to his loyal watch and say “Cussed timer, why do you tell me that time? Why?!” And so the watch’s day would begin again.

As months went by, the watch obeyed Bobbie without question, but still found itself to be not far from his anger. Its clad bronze became dented and its golden chain lost its shine through layers of coal dust and dirt. But the watch still remained loyal to his master.

Over these months, Bobbie would see the Lady more and more, until one night in a drunken state, he arrived at her home to find her holding a baby boy. Bobbie started shaking nervously; the watch knew this kind of shaking; it was the same shaking he had before he whipped a worker for being lazy; a bubbling, building anger.

“I’m going to tell Will it’s our child” said the Lady. Bobbie’s shaking grew and grew; the watch felt his angry, sweaty grip tighten around it, its ticking hands shaking in fear at the pressure its master was exerting on it.

“Don’t destroy me” the watch felt its master whimper. The Lady put the child down. “Goodbye Bobbie”. She walked past him.

Suddenly the watch felt warm wetness as Bobbie’s fist flew into contact with the Lady’s face, and she fell to the oak floor. The watch felt its golden chain caress her neck, quivering, and it was twisted round her.

“Let me go!” her voice box vibrated along the golden lengths, which shuddered at her words. With sudden force, Bobbie yanked the chain, and the Lady screamed as her life vibrated along the gold, but there came no sound. The watch felt every touch of that moment. It had never felt so close to someone before, as its golden chain cut into her throat.

As the last gasp of energy strained from her throat, the watch screamed as its golden lengths broke, preciously chattering along the floor. Bobbie fell back, whimpering at what he’d done. The watch felt his master loosen his grip, whimpering as he let it fall, limp out of his hands, clattering onto the oak floor.

The watch never said goodbye to Bobbie. It was placed in a soggy, grease-stained cardboard box found by the road with the baby boy, and folded shut. They were together carried for hours; the only sound they could hear was of sobbing and breathing, locked in their tomb together.

Finally, the cold stone ground shivered through the cardboard beneath them, and the movement of footsteps away proved to the watch that its master was gone. Now, it and the boy were alone, it’s ticking heart the only sound.

As light crept through the cracks of their tomb, the watch’s co-prisoner began to cry. The box opened, and an elderly lady in a white cloaked dress stood over them. She gasped, touching the cross that dangled around her neck.

Together, they were brought inside out of the cold smoke, and into the old stone building’s warmth, taken past the little children that played around them, and into a dank catacomb. The white-cloaked woman called to her compatriot: “Sister, we got another one”.

The boy was given the name ‘Robert’, from the engraving on the timepiece he was found with. As watch looked upon the small lump of life lying next to it, it began to see love in the child’s eyes; a fellow soul that was abandoned.

Robert soon became keen to see what this possession could do, and touching the watch with his young tiny fingers. Every touch, the watch could feel Robert gaining experience; and soon Robert knew the watch better than Bobbie ever did: every scratch, every gash, and every dent.

And so the watch watched him grow. Every day, around the other orphans, Robert grew, his eyes grew wider the more they saw; his mind grew keener in kind. He would often explore, escaping the orphanage’s watchful eye to join local pickpocket gangs and ply a trade up near Trafalgar Square.

But he would always come back, and every night would cradle the watch like it was the only thing that mattered in the world. The timepiece by this time was ticking wearily, its cogs beset by years of service. But every time the boy rewound it, its spring choked with new energy and life.