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A familiar sound
Every evening, the little clock said tick, tock.
Pru did not usually listen.
She heard it while finding a slipper, while choosing a book, while wondering what came after supper.
It belonged to the room.
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The missing part
Tonight she looked up.
Something had gone away.
The lamp was lit. The rug was rumpled. The window held the last pale sky.
Pru stayed very still until she knew what was missing.
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A quiet clock
She went close to the clock.
Its hands pointed patiently.
It made no sound at all.
Pru put her own hands behind her back and listened harder.
The quiet did not change.
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Grandad arrives
'Has the evening stopped?' she asked.
Grandad came to look.
He glanced at the window.
'The evening seems to be getting along,' he said.
'Our clock may need a little attention.'
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The first new sound
While Grandad fetched his key, Pru sat on the rug.
A pipe made a small knock inside the wall.
She had never noticed it before.
She waited for another, but it had finished speaking.
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A soft turning
Behind her, Grandad turned the little key.
He did it slowly, holding the clock steady.
Pru heard a faint winding sound.
It was smaller than she had expected, and much closer.
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Not yet
He put the key away.
They both listened.
The clock stayed quiet.
Grandad looked through his spectacles at the hands.
'We'll give it a moment,' he said.
Pru gave it all of hers.
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The room continues
Rain tapped at the window.
Grandad's sleeve brushed the chair.
Pru moved one foot and the floor answered with a creak.
There was quite a lot of evening happening without the clock.
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Two small sounds
Tick.
Pru sat up.
Tock.
Grandad smiled, but did not say anything.
The familiar sound had come back so quietly that Pru almost wanted to whisper a welcome.
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A place in the quiet
The rain had not stopped.
The chair still rustled when Grandad moved.
Now the ticking fitted between those sounds.
Pru could hear the whole room, with the clock inside it.
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The question
'Will it take another rest?' Pru asked.
'One day,' said Grandad.
Pru thought about the pipe and the floorboard.
'Then I'll listen for what happens while it's resting.'
Grandad put her book beside her.
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Goodnight, little clock
Before bed, Pru paused by the door.
Tick, tock.
Rain, softly.
One last comfortable creak.
She did not need to answer every sound.
She knew they would carry on after her goodnight.
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