Resetting Time

What's time?

 

“This watch never loses a minute.” That’s what my grandpa used to boast about his antique gold watch. Strangely enough though, after he bequeathed it to me in his will, it was forever losing time. It only lost a few minutes at first, but then it kept losing more time more often. Eventually I stopped using it and left it to retire peacefully in my sock drawer.

 

I work part time as a mechanic at a garage in the western suburbs. A car rolls up. An old man slowly lifts himself out of the drivers seat and shuffles across to the counter. Suddenly I find myself staring at his wrist.

“’Scuse me sir," I say. "I can't help noticing that you wear the same type of watch that my grandpa use to wear."

“That so sonny? He must’ve had sense then. This watch has never lost a minute.”

“That’s exactly what my grandfather used to say."

His eyes crinkle into twin rainbows at that.

“I used to ask my Grandpa where lost time went.”

“Time isn't lost, it's just temporarily misplaced.” says the man. “Speaking of time," he points back at his ancient Cadillac, "My baby here never loses a minute either. She just needs a bit of general check-up today.”

I smile to myself. It's our company policy to reset the clocks on any cars that we service so that they were telling the right time. So far every car I have serviced has been losing time.

“It’ll be ready to collect by 2pm,” I tell the man.

As I set about working on the car my mind wanders and I find myself thinking about temporarily misplaced time. Einstein thought that time was relative which basically means that the passage of time is all in the mind. If we notice it, it will go more slowly than if we are occupied with something else. I have always thought it was a joke.

How could time be relative? Just because I am noticing the time going by slowly doesn’t mean it’s not also passing quickly for someone else. And by any notion of logic, time cant’ go both quickly and slowly at the same time… can it?

My mother always says time is flying by. She says it goes faster as you get older. That would have to be true; being sent to my room for ten minutes felt like a lifetime when I was a child and now (I check the time by the laptop on the work bench) a whole hour has passed while I have been working on this car and I hardly noticed!

The world is getting busier, my father says. I wonder if time passes more slowly for my parents since I moved out here to study in the city. Maybe they're too busy to notice.

A thought occurs to me; what if there are so many people in the world who are not noticing the time; that it actually speeds time up? Nah, that’s ridiculous… time doesn’t change, does it? Computers tell us the correct time ('But who checks that computers are correct?' I wonder.) What a ridiculous thought!" computers are always correct. Grinning, I shake my head and get back to work.

Finally I’m almost finished on the car; I just have to reset the time. Opening the driver’s door I slide across the front seat. The clock on the dash says 1.35pm. I check my Garmin; 1.45pm. Just as I had expected.

Sitting on the hot leather seats I watch as the hands on the dash move slowly; 1.36: 1.37: 1.38. My boss walks past. I need to hurry up and reset the clock. I'm running out of time…. Or am I?

Without touching the dash, I get out of the car and walk away.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Appreciate ANY Feedback :)

Reviews

[Jacob Clifford]

God, I love this. It's so different, so out there, and genuinely very interesting. The beginning caught my attention. For a brief period, I wondered why the watch was important and where the story was going, but everything worked out. The concept of time is so hard to process, and even harder to understand. Impossible, perhaps. The narrator's brain-churning thoughts were great. My head started hurting a bit near the end.

[Stan Lee]

Thanks Clifford. Actually a few people have commented that the watch threw them a bit at the beginning. I have considered taking it out altogether, but you know, I get kinda attached to my own words. :P Anyhow, I'm glad it all worked out in the end and you enjoyed the story albeit the head hurting! ;) Thanks very much for reading and reviewing. Much appreciated Clifford! :)

[Lorry]

Ah, time...That man made not so wondrous constant...Or as you say, is it? I remember fondly being a dozen or so, when days were spent playing in light, going home in dark. When I was two dozen or so, time couldn't move fast enough, as I chased my dreams and always seemed to have the energy to stay just behind them. Now that I'm more than a few dozen, I wonder if time exists at all. Wasn't it only yesterday my biggest worry was explaining to my Mum why my trouser had no knees again :)

[Stan Lee]

Thanks Nemo :) I think you've tapped into what I'm saying here. Thanks for reading & reviewing.

[Lorry]

You're mostest welcome :)

[.]

An interesting piece of writing.......

You have written a story that promotes thinking about life and the way in which we use our time. I tend to agree with Einstein's theory on time.....it is all in the mind. We created the hours. We created the minutes. We created the seconds. And as we live we watch them floating by. Time is relative. Slow to the young, fast to the old. Too many hours when we are bored, not enough when we are busy. It's all in the mind.

I enjoyed the story. Nicely written.

[Stan Lee]

Thank you Doodley! :) I'm glad you found it interesting and that it got you thinking. It's a sort of mind boggling theory if you start to think about it too hard right. I tried to keep it light enough to avoid boggling. Thanks for your kind review. :)

[Jacob Mahurien]

And here I was thinking that the guy somehow stepped back in time. I like your style, this is the third story I've read of your's and all of them end in ways I wasn't expecting. You have a great mind.

[Stan Lee]

Thanks a lot for reading & reviewing Jacob. I'm glad you liked them and that I managed to surprise you somewhat. :)

[PaintedBirdy]

what i like about this story the most is that the narrator reflects on 'folk knowledge' that is passed down from one generation to the next about 'time'. for me, when the grandpa says the watch never loses a minute, i think: he sounds like its really in sync with the world! then the father says the world is getting busier and i think: sounds like people are getting further and further away from the wisdom they once had about the world. this story sounds like its half parable to me, which i like.

i almost feel like theres something symbolic about the narrator being a mechanic too. a mechanic is the one who resets time, it's almost mystical. good story, Andronicus!

[Stan Lee]

*nods* That's exactly what I think too. I think you've really understood what I was trying to say here. (Finally someone interprets this how I wanted them to) :) Needless to say I was having a lot of curious thoughts at the time. (haha) But seriously, is it true that we have less time on our hands than our forefathers? or do we still have 24hrs in a day the same as what they had? I thought about it for quiet some time and still don't have the answer.
Thank you very much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate you taking to time & your comments.
:)

[PaintedBirdy]

now i feel like i have to contact an astrophysicist and see if the earth is spinning faster. i don't think i have the time for that though, i'm just too busy. as always you're very welcome :)

[Matthew Ian Herrawood W]

I can see this as an introduction to a story about time (weather it's time travel or otherwise). I'm not sure the paragraph about your grandfathers watch is needed as it can be covered quickly when you see it at the garage. I'm not personally sure and don't know your style yet so it may not work doing that. Still think about the possibility that the first paragraph detracts from the story rather than adds to it simply by its placement in this monologue. In any case I enjoyed this.

[Stan Lee]

Thanks for your honest feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[Woody]

very interesting thoughts about Time, Andronicus. light, humourous and thought provoking.
a tiny something (I need to do my bit of teacher's business). the man's at the counter and he pats the bonnet (?) possibly make him point with his thumb over his shoulder or something.

[Stan Lee]

Oops, true that! Thanks for pointing that out Woody, I'll fix it up asap. Thanks for reading and reviewing - I'm glad you found it interesting and thought provoking. :)

[Captain Rilen]

Always enjoyable to read your stories! Made me think about time and how different the pace can be depending on who the subject is. I especially liked the part where you said "computers are always correct". Thought provoking as always and pleasantly written. Great piece Andronicus!

[Stan Lee]

I think you and I have had a conversation about time before, haven't we. :) Thanks very much for reading and for your encouraging reviews. I'm glad you liked it. :)

[Jaydaut]

"Life is like a roll of toilet paper - the shorter it gets, the faster it goes."

[Stan Lee]

lol. Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[Shannon]

Oh, you are definitely back! Great work. I love the reverence the old man gives both time and his objects, that spreads to the narrator.

I would perhaps do a little bit more exploration of "forever losing time" in the first paragraph. Maybe describe a minute or two turning into 5, then 6, then putting it away. So it is not dismissed so quickly.

[Stan Lee]

Thank you very much S.Mi. Glad that you like it and I appreciate your constructive review. I'll have to work on that :) Thanks again!