The Clock That Cried at Midnight

The Clock That Cried at Midnight

In a quiet corner of an old city street, there stood a dusty little antique shop. Inside were worn-out books, faded picture frames, and creaky old toys. But the most curious object in the shop was a very old clock hanging on the back wall. Its paint had faded, its hands were rusted, and every night at exactly midnight, it let out a soft, sorrowful sob.

Many had tried to buy it, but the old shopkeeper, Baba Nooruddin, always refused.

“This clock is not for sale, my child,” he would say. “There’s more than just time trapped inside it.”

One day, a young man named Ali moved into the neighborhood. He was fond of vintage things, and as soon as he stepped into the shop, his eyes were drawn to the ancient clock.

“How much for that clock?” he asked.

Baba Nooruddin looked at him with serious eyes.

“That clock isn’t sold with money.”

Ali laughed. “Come on, I could restore it! Just let me take it.”

After a pause, Baba Nooruddin finally said,

“Alright… but under one condition: Never watch the clock alone at midnight.”

Ali agreed, took the clock home, and proudly hung it in his room.

For a few days, nothing happened. But one night, as Ali was working late, the clock struck twelve… and suddenly, he heard a faint sobbing sound.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Ali froze. The sound came from inside the clock.

“What the...?”

The next night, driven by curiosity, Ali set up his phone to record at midnight. As the clock struck twelve again, the sobbing returned — but this time, it wasn't just sobbing. It was a woman’s muffled cry:

"Let me out... I’m trapped in time..."

Terrified, Ali rushed back to the antique shop the next morning.

Baba Nooruddin sighed deeply when he heard the story.

“I warned you. That clock... was made by my father. On the day his wife — my mother — died in a tragic accident, the clock stopped at exactly midnight. Since then, her spirit has been trapped inside it. She cries every midnight.”

Ali, though scared, felt a strange connection. “Can I help her?”

Baba nodded slowly.

“Yes. If you truly want to help, sit beneath the clock at midnight. Close your eyes, and say only these words:

‘Time is free. So are you.’”

That night, Ali did exactly as he was told. Midnight struck. The sobbing began again… but this time, as he whispered the words, the sound slowly turned into a gentle sigh.

“Thank you…”

The clock’s hands stopped moving. The sobbing ceased. A deep calm spread across the room.

The next morning, the clock still hung on Ali’s wall. But now, it was just an ordinary clock. No more cries. No more trapped spirits.

Only time — ticking freely again.

The End