When the waiting watch met his maker

It’s not that much fun being a watch. Strapped to the wrist of an insolent fool who only brings you out from under his sleeve when he cares to know what time it is. It’s better in the summer; not that many people where long sleeves in the summer. But then, some days, it apparently becomes too hot to wear a watch, as if it is my fault that I heat up a little when the sun is glaring down on me. I am made of metal you know. I had an owner once who complained about me after returning from holiday, as she had an uneven tan line on her left hand, with a white strip in amongst the bronze glory.

“You put me on,” I told her, or I would have done if I had a mouth. Three hands and a face but no mouth was what I had, which I considered to be somewhat of a raw deal.

Another problem with being a watch is all the work. I’m constantly moving my hands about the place, swinging then around like a drunken lollipop lady. This one hand in particular is crazy; I’m telling you, it never stops, around and around and around. I get tired sometimes too, but I don’t even get to stop during the night. You see, it’s commonly known, that stopping is the one thing that no watch can allow themselves to do. I knew this one watch back when I was a kid, Jeff Banks, who, after being cast aside for years in a jewellery box (he swears it was years, and you can’t really argue with a watch over time) decided to take a rest from all the hard work and pointless swinging. He says that he did nothing for a few days then, fully rested, began the arduous task once more. When his owner finally decided he needed to wear his watch again Jeff was ecstatic, but when his owner pulled him out of the box of trinkets he realised that the time was wrong.

“This watch is broken,” he said, and rested it on the side of the table.

“No,” Jeff screamed at him, wanting to explain what happened, “I’m not broken, I just took a rest that’s all.”

But of course Jeff had three hands and a face but no mouth, and no amount of frantic hand swinging was enough to convince his owner that he worked. I met Jeff soon after I was made, and just before he was broken for good.