In the Ticking, In the Ticking, In the Ticking of the Clocks

Walter opened his eyes to find himself standing in an endless void of blackness. The shadows were heavy, but not in terms of weight. Rather, they seemed to have some sort of… more mystical weight to them, a presence that could not be defied.

Sound came first, the grinding of gears, the whistle of steam, the hum of electricity. Then came light, and Walter realized he was standing upon a great clock face. Below him, the hands spun. Not just minute hand and hour hand, but others, some long, some short, some straight, some curved. Some moved forwards, others backwards. They continued on forever. Not just forever in space, but forever in time.

Clutching his head, Walter closed his eyes. Gazing upon this great, unfathomable, eternal clock, it seemed like an eternity had passed, while at the same time he had stood here for no more than a moment.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. “Tick, tock, tick, tock, what a lovely sound.”

Hearing an unfamiliar voice, Walter dared to open his eyes. A man stood before him. He was young and old, tall and small, so very real as to be fake. The man held a pocket watch out towards Walter.

“Here, take it. Oh, don’t look so confused. It’s a simple device. It will allow you to step through time. Only backwards, mind. Well, if it’s forwards you’re wanting, just close your eyes and sleep. Hah, humans never seek that anyways.”

The man talked fast, but rhythmically. Each word came in time with the tick tocking of the clock.

“Why give you such a gift, you might ask? Because it’s interesting, I suppose? Because a Fool I have not yet met asked me to? The reason escapes me. Of course, you can only use it once a day.”

The clock began to spin faster and faster, but the ticking remained constant. Tick, tock, tick, tock.” Walter closed his eyes, and let the sound wash over him.

With a groan, the bronze and steel machine came to a halt. The screech of brakes and the hiss of steam filled the air, shocking Walter’s eyes open. A brief glance around revealed that the train had pulled into a station, the sign posts declaring it to be Southern Salvil. It was all so familiar. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. Despite having only seen it once, its rhythmic ticking resonated with Walter like his own heartbeat.

“Brother? Hey, brother!” A voice shook the young man from his less than pure thoughts and he glanced to his side. Charlotte sat beside him, repeating the same actions, saying the same words. She poked him repeatedly in his side with one finger, the other finger playing with her long, curly blonde locks, leaning forwards to show a hint of cleavage through her periwinkle blue summer dress. “What were ya thinkin’ ‘bout, brother?”