How to Maintain a Municipal Clock That No Longer Tells the Time

Purpose:

This manual will guide you through the routine maintenance of a municipal clock that has ceased to measure hours and instead measures something less cooperative. Follow each instruction carefully. Deviations may result in nostalgia, minor civic unrest, or the quiet return of someone you thought had left for good.

1. Acquire the Proper Tools

Before approaching the clock, gather the following items:

- One ladder tall enough to make you reconsider your life choices

- A wrench that fits bolts last tightened decades ago

- A notebook for recording observations that cannot be submitted to any office

- A clean cloth, preferably cotton

- A pocket watch, heirloom or imitation (either will work, but you must pretend it matters)

Do not bring a digital device. The clock will notice and refuse to cooperate.

2. Ascend with Respect

Climb the ladder slowly. Do not rush; the clock has been waiting longer than you have been alive. Halfway up, you may hear the faint echo of bells that are not ringing. This is normal. Continue climbing.

When you reach the clock face, pause. Place your palm against the glass. It will be warm, even in winter. If it is cold, you have arrived on the wrong day. Descend and return tomorrow.

3. Confirm the Malfunction

A clock that no longer tells time will still move. The hands may drift backward at dusk, hesitate at noon, or circle the same minute for hours. This does not indicate broken gears. Do not attempt to “fix” it yet.

Instead, take out your pocket watch and compare. Note the discrepancy, not in minutes, but in events:

- The clock is three apologies behind.

- The clock is one argument ahead.

- The clock is exactly on time for the thing you’re avoiding.

Write this down. The city will never ask for it, but the clock expects documentation.

4. Open the Housing

Use the wrench to loosen the bolts. They will resist at first, then suddenly give, as if relieved. Open the back panel carefully. Inside, you will find gears, dust, and at least one object that does not belong in a clock.

Common findings include:

- A ticket stub from a closed cinema

- A key that opens nothing you can find

- A folded letter addressed simply to “You”

Do not remove these items. They are structural.

5. Clean Without Erasing

Using the cloth, wipe the gears gently. Do not polish. The dust is part of the mechanism; it contains summers, parades, funerals, and one long afternoon when the square was empty except for a dog.

As you clean, memories may surface that are not yours. This is a known side effect. Breathe evenly. Return each memory to the gear it came from.

If you find a gear that refuses to turn, whisper to it. Any reassurance will do. “It’s all right” is standard municipal phrasing.

6. Adjust the Pendulum (If Present)

Some clocks have pendulums. Others have something like a pendulum but heavier, slower, and shaped like regret.

If the pendulum swings too wide, the city becomes restless. If it swings too narrow, nothing changes for years.

To adjust:

- Nudge it once.

- Step back.

- Observe the square below.

If a couple reunites, you’ve overcorrected. If someone misses a bus and shrugs, you’re close.

7. Recalibrate the Hands

Do not set the hands to a specific hour. Instead, align them with a shared moment.

Good reference points include:

- When the bakery opens and the smell reaches the fountain

- When the school bell rings and no one is late

- When the lights come on in the last office still occupied

Turn the minute hand until it trembles slightly. That is alignment.

8. Close the Clock

Before sealing the housing, check once more for foreign objects. There will now be one additional item inside that you did not bring. This is expected. Leave it.

Close the panel. Tighten the bolts, but not fully. The clock needs room to breathe.

9. Descend and Observe

Climb down. Put the ladder away. Stand in the square and look up.

Within minutes, subtle changes will occur:

- Conversations will end where they should.

- Someone will decide to stay.

- Someone else will finally leave.

Do not take credit. Do not apologize.

10. File No Report

There is no form for this maintenance. Do not email anyone. The city knows when the clock is cared for.

You will know too, later, when you glance at it without thinking and feel an odd sense of relief, as if you have arrived neither early nor late, but exactly when you were supposed to.

Maintenance Schedule:

Repeat as needed. Usually once every few years, or after something important happens.

If the clock ever begins telling exact time again, retire immediately. The city has moved on, and so should you.