The Watchmaker’s Apprentice

Tomas apprenticed under an old watchmaker known only as “Master Iven.” The man’s clocks were famous for being perfectly silent — no tick, no tock, no sound.

One day, Tomas asked, “Why don’t they make noise?”

Iven smiled. “Because they don’t measure seconds. They measure wishes.”

Inside each clock, instead of gears, was a single golden feather that fluttered whenever someone near it made a wish they truly believed in.

As years passed, Iven grew frail and left his final clock unfinished. Tomas discovered a note tucked inside:

“Wind it when you no longer believe in time.”

The climax: When Iven died, Tomas wound the clock. It began to hum softly, and suddenly every silent clock in the village began to chime.

The sound lasted for exactly one minute — enough for every person to remember one lost dream. Then they fell silent again.

Tomas smiled. “Time doesn’t end,” he said. “It just pauses long enough for us to remember what matters.”