Where Time Stands Still

I have always loved my grandmother's clock. It was made in Waterford, Connecticut around 1900, and was given to my grandparents as a wedding present. I remember listening to it as a child on Christmas Eve, chiming the wee hours when I was too excited to sleep. Eventually, it came to live on our mantel in Berkeley, but by then it had ceased to tick. With three small kids in the house, it was unlikely that we had much time or quiet to hear it chime, and getting it fixed was a low priority.

Just a few years ago, I found a clock repair shop in Petaluma which cleaned Grandma's clock, and sent it home with us with instructions to be sure it stayed wound. Then we moved, and it was in a box in storage for several months. We gave it a nice spot on our library shelf, once we had one, but once again, it had stopped.

A few weeks ago we had an earthquake in the middle of the night. It rattled our nerves, shifted all the pictures on the walls, and…as I walked past the library, I heard the clock chime. Apparently a good jolt was all it needed. Oh, and the winding key, which seems to have disappeared...

Thanks to West Coast Bob for continuing to host the Mono Monday Challenges.