The Melted Clock

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The Melted Clock
Chapter One- The World I Loved
It was a bizarre day, when we first met the new neighbours that was when I lived in the other world, the one that you are in now. We went to visit their house and have tea, which was odd enough since they had moved in not even 24 hours ago so it should have really been them coming to us. Although they had just moved in and there was not a member of staff in sight the house was already perfect. Almost perfect. Visiting the neighbours is the reason I am here, writing a warning to you; do not ever, ever touch a melted clock! That is how you might end up living in the over world. The over world is a terrible place full of werewolves and vampires and evil elves and dinosaurs and things that are outside of the imagination of any sensible human I have ever met. There are nice creatures in the over world, I have heard the stories of magical elves and fairies and the odd angel though they are few and far between. I have lived here for 100 years and I have seen one fairy that was shot by a dwarf the moment I saw her. For you to understand my story I must first tell you how I ended up spending the rest of my life in the over world.

"Good-day, our new neighbours, I trust you are well." Mr Richardson said, exaggerating and over pronouncing every syllable
"I was wondering if you would join us for tea at six o'clock." Mr Richardson was the very image of a stereotypical rich man. He had black hair parted off centre with wax. It was so straight it would have put a ruler to shame.
He was wearing an expensive suit; it was black with a red tie. The suit was so spotless it made him look as if he was about to visit the Queen. The way he strutted around like he was someone special made me feel sick. We were all very well off around there but no one was quite as pompous.
"I have a daughter his age," our pompous new neighbour continued,
"Maybe they could be... Study partners." The way he said it made me think he was trying to set me up with her. I was about to mention that I had a girlfriend (although I didn’t) but something made me hesitate. He was trying to upset me and so I took an instant dislike to him. He was trying to wind me up. Mr Richardson was certainly different to say the least.


I was still thinking about our conversation when I got to school. My friend called my name but I ignored him, still wrapped up in my own thoughts. I was at maths before he caught me up.
“...on the skiing trip? Because I think... Bert? Bert? Earth to Herbert” said Josh. He was a good friend, I miss him. I expect he’s either dead now or celebrating his 115 birthday. He was tall and his hair was cut in an old fashioned style, well it was when he was about to go home - his parents were very strict.
“Don’t call me Herbert! You know how much I hate that stupid name. I don’t call you Joshua and that isn’t nearly as bad.” I scowled. He only did that to get my attention but it still made me mad. I elbowed him and went into my math classroom. We sat in silence with all of us behaving perfectly; Mrs Robertly was very strict and no one wanted to end up in detention. She started talking about algebra and I suppressed a yawn whilst trying to look interested. Then suddenly someone broke the continuous drone of Mrs Robertly, knocking on the door. This was a big shock for us. Anyone who had ever been to the school and several people who hadn’t knew that interrupting Mrs Robertly was near suicidal. The door opened and several of my classmates exchanged looks as a pretty girl came in. Her brown curly hair shone down the back of her blazer making the stupid pale green school uniform look almost nice. Her eyes glowed gold like the crown jewels and her peachy lips were so... wonderful. That moment I was sure I was in love. Maybe I’m still in love.
“Hello Mrs Robertly. My names Jenny Richardson, I’m sorry I’m late, I got lost.” said the girl. I sighed, so she was my new neighbour. Great! If her father was anything to go by I was sure she was going to be weird. “Maybe she’s not so pretty” I thought. “Maybe I don’t like her so much, at all.”...maybe I wasn’t fooling anyone. Despite my pointless attempts to convince myself I didn’t like her, I couldn’t deny that I pitied her ignorance. Mrs Robertly exploded.
“I don’t care for your ridiculous excuses Jennifer! You need to learn that making things up won’t help; I don’t believe that you got lost and what’s more I am going to have a word with your English teacher. Your excuse was anything but original!” Mrs Robertly yelled,
“You can join me tomorrow for a one hour detention. Now get to your place.” Jenny looked genuinely distressed and my heart melted for her again.
“I’m sorry Mrs Robertly.” she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper
“Please will you tell me where my chair is?” I cringed at that comment, I think we all did. She should have just sat down in the only spare seat next to me but no, she had to ask.
“Do you really think that is funny to stand there having a minor tantrum? Because I don’t!” Mrs Robertly screeched
“Sit down next to Herbert and then at the end of the lesson he will take you to the head teacher’s office so you can’t get lost again! I’m sure he will be very interested in the way you’ve been behaving!” Jenny nodded and sat down before she could get into anymore trouble I gave her a tiny nod of reassurance being careful not to let Mrs Robertly see. Poor Jenny. I wonder if she was from the over world. Maybe she’s an elf, or a fairy. Sorry ignore that.
The rest of the lesson passed without incident, apart from the bit were Mrs Robertly nearly saw me yawning. When the end of the lesson came Mrs Robertly let everyone except Jenny and me go. She kept us waiting for nearly ten minutes (my English teacher was really happy about that) but I knew from experience that I shouldn’t complain. I gazed lovingly at beautiful Jenny, watching whilst she tried her best to look sorry and Mrs Robertly wrote a note to the head teacher. When we finally got out the corridors were empty, everyone had made their way outside.
“Well... hi Jenny, my name is Bert,” I said holding out my hand in a feeble attempt to make conversation,
“I think we are neighbours, do you live on Greendale Lane? The one with all the big white houses, and a stream running through all the gardens and a swimming pool in all the houses? Because Mr Richardson invited us for tea.” Jenny frowned as soon as I said that we were neighbours and when I said her dad invited us to tea she looked positively terrified petrified.
“Say you’re ill tonight Bert! Please don’t come, it’s dangerous! If you have to come then don’t wander!” Jenny pleaded “Please! I implore you!”I was shocked by Jennys' outburst at the time I didn’t understand but now I regret not following her advice. I nodded at Jenny; to be honest I was sort of scared. We walked the rest of the way to the office in silence and as I knocked on the door I felt as nervous as Jenny looked. I felt bad for her, the first lesson in her first day at her new school and all this happens.
I spent the rest of the day totally distracted, thinking about what Jenny had said. There were loads of questions buzzing around my head; “Why didn’t she want me to go to her house? Why did she look worried when she found out we were neighbours? Who uses a word like implore? Why was I so bothered about what a weird girl that I barely knew?” I was so distracted that I walked into the door. I’ve done that here before, in the over world, except with a werewolf.
That was scary. Luckily I had my handmade sword in my hand. I stabbed him in the heart as he was howling to call his friends and then I climbed a tree to safety before the other werewolves came. My dwarf friend wasn’t so lucky. I was so used to being alone it took a while before I remembered him, I shouted his name and he looked up but it was too late. A big howling beast pounced on him. The furry hound tore him from limb from limb and it all I could do to stay quiet. Calling out to him wouldn’t help me and it would certainly make me dead. I had to stay hidden. As the minutes passed I let the silent tears run down my cheek. Eventually I dared to climb down. I looked at my little friends’ torn body. He too had been torn from his world by a melted clock. I shivered wondering what they were ever invented for. Finally I pulled myself together; I scolded myself for being so weak and told myself to get on with things. I took my friends’ bow and arrow and his grass woven blanket then I found some big rocks. I piled them into a tomb shape and I carefully laid what remained of my friends’ body into the tomb and carved a simple message onto a large rock that I placed on top:
“KigH I will miss you”
I bowed my head towards his grave for a moment and then walked away; my eyes were dry again for I had to hunt. By then I had learnt to make my instinct to survive control my emotions.

 

Chapter 2- The End of the Beginning

I have been bored many a time on Earth but I don’t remember being bored in the over world. Which is quite strange really since all you do in the over world is try not to get killed; you are forever on edge. Whereas on earth you have all sorts of things to do like watch TV, go skateboarding or even do some homework, there’s always something new you can try out. I suppose it’s the adrenalin that’s constantly running through your body. You never know the next time that a monster will attack you; you never know when an ogre is going to test your weapons; you never know when a werewolf is going to test your fighting skills. When you’re not defending yourself you are busy making a new weapon, clothes or shelter. At least you don’t grow out of clothes here, you just ruin them. I haven’t aged a day in the hundred years I’ve been here. That means it’s impossible to die of old age. You can die though I have no doubt about that. I often wonder why I don’t do just that; “What’s the point in living?” I ask myself. I tell myself I should just stop fighting and let them kill me, that death is easier than life. I don’t have the guts to stop living. I’m weak.

When I got to Jennys house for tea I sat there for two hours getting bored I was listening to conversation about the latest cricket scores, politics and a small movement in the economy. It wasn’t all bad though; Jenny was there. I spent ages looking at the beautiful shine in her hair and her sweet little nose. I loved everything about her appearance: her lips, her figure and her perfectly shaped hands. I just wanted to take hold of them and tell her I loved her. I had given up trying to convince myself I didn’t like her. So much has changed now; I am no longer in touch with my emotions. Living out here as changed everything. If I went back to the human world now I don’t know if I would be able to deal with the change, not again. I am a ruthless killer now. I only kill werewolves and other dangerous animals but before I wouldn’t touch a spider. I was a vegetarian. How silly my ideas were. Anyway I was happy staring at Jenny for a while but there’s only so long you can admire someone for until you get fed up.
“May I go to the toilet please?” I asked, just wanting an excuse to escape. I had hoped I could find out what it was that Jenny was so scared about me finding. Curiosity is very dangerous, I have known many people in the over world that have died from it.
“Jenny will show you the way.” Mr Richardson told me, seeming not to remember that our houses were laid out in exactly the same way. She stood up silently and walked out. To be honest I think she was glad to be escaping. Jenny took me a longer way than she should have, that made me even more curious about the strange house and the family inside it.
“Let’s go this way Jenny, its quicker.” I said smiling at her, “I don’t mind going though the kitchen.” I pushed against the door.
“No Bert! Please let’s just go the long way!” Jenny begged as I struggle to open the heavy oak door, its hinges creaked. Suddenly the door burst open and I took in a dilapidated room: a table that was a rotting heap on the floor, the legs sprawled out like a dead spider; the worktop was stained and filthy; the oven was so thick with dust it looked as if it had been left, unused for over one hundred years. My mouth fell open. Then something else caught my eye. It was a clock; it looked as if someone had melted it. The numbers were stretched and distorted. I took a single step forwards. The clock was drawing me in, it was calling to me. I registered that my hand was reaching up towards the clock.
“No! Bert! Just go back to the living room! Now!” Jenny said with urgency in her voice. She took hold of my shoulder and tried to pull me back but I just brushed her off. Jenny shook her head, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a tear run down her cheek. I took another step forwards and another and another then my last step on earth. I touched the clock, tracing around the black edge. A tingling feeling ran through my body then there was pain. I was on my back. There was so much pain; my body felt like it was being pulled apart and torn.
Jenny stepped towards me and shook her head miserably as she whispered to me “I thought you were stronger than the others. Goodbye Herbert.” I wanted to say a lot of different things to her but I couldn’t. I was in so much pain; I felt the heat of a single tear running down my check. I somehow knew, deep down, that I was never going to see my family again. Gently Jenny closed my eyes and left me.