Clockwise.

This story is by Kriticaa and was part of our 2017 Winter Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

CLOCKWISE

 

SHE, the hour hand is the girl friend and HE, the minute hand is the

boyfriend. They go round and round and their love evolves.

SHE is stubborn and slow. HE is giving and fast. The second’s hand

is both their enemy and friend , his name tatata. It is because of

tatata that HE gets at least few seconds with SHE but tatata can give them only 60 seconds of togertherness,then they have to move away. Tatata toils all day to bring them together but ironically  also separates them..

 

Every day HE waits to meet SHE  just for those few seconds.

 

At 7.35 pm.

 

“I can never become you” said SHE.

 

HE muttered “You don’t have to become me; you just have to be you and me as me. Whatever little time we have together we can celebrate that. You see love isn’t about staying hand in hand. It is about being together even if we are away. I wish you understood…”

 

SHE immediately questioned, “What is the point if we are constantly away from each other and we get just one minute to be together, you think that is enough?”

 

HE blurted “One minute is so much time. Just imagine. It is ONE MINUTE.”

 

Sternly looking into his eyes she told him, “One minute isn’t enough for me; I want a lifetime with you. Can you give me that?”

 

 They move apart. It is 7.36 pm.

 

“I have a doubt” Said HE

 

“Shoot ,my man” said Tatata with his usual tone of enthusiasm.

 

With a perplexed expression on his face HE told  Tatata “She asked me if I can give her a lifetime together. Can I? Do I have any control over that ? A lifetime?”

 

Before Tatata could answer, HE says “Lifetime is every time .This second

is one whole lifetime , is it not? Just one second together is one lifetime together.”

 

“You have questions and you have answers for them as well, crazy man,” said Tatata and went his way.

 

HE stands there excited at his own finding and proceeds to meet her again.

 

At 8.40 pm.

 

SHE waits there to speak up whatever she has to tell him. HE comes over and immediately she starts saying  “You move more often than me. You aren’t stable. I, at least stay at one

place for one hour but you have to move. It is never going to work between us. Our life keeps moving and our only work is to move with it. We can’t anchor ourselves to stop anywhere, we just can’t stay together forever.”

 

He exclaims “why does it even have to be forever. I love you to this moment, to this very second. And I see it as a moment by moment phenomenon. Even if it is for few seconds with you, I rejoice in it and that is all that matters. I love you and that is it. I love you … I love you …”screaming out loud he moves to 8.41 pm.

 

SHE stands there longing to make him understand that she loves him but at the same time she knows how much this is not going to work between them. She keeps staring at him and doesn’t say another word.

 

Tatata comes over to find out what happened.

 

How did it go buddy ? asks Tatata mockingly.

 

 “She doesn’t seem to understand what love is, she wants stability. How can anything be stable in life? If it is stable it has to be dead.”said HE.

 

You just have to leave her alone for some time said  Tatata and walked his way.

 

HE continues to talk to Tatata “ She loves me and I know it .It is just that she is afraid. She is thinking way too much about future when there is actually no future; all we have is only the present moment and that is the best thing about time. . Why doesn’t anyone understand this?”

 

Tatata smiled and said “If that is so, why do you want her to understand this, you can simply love her and keep moving. Why do you expect her to be approving of your idea about love, time and all that stuff?”

 

HE pounces with his answer “Because if she understands this, it is an entirely new game. We will still be going the same way but in this little world of ours we can be the best and enjoy every moment . It doesn’t matter if we are together or 59 mins apart.”

 

Ahem Ahem Ahem comes a sound.

 

What is with this battery it keeps coughing these days more often? said HE.

 

He walks away not paying any attention to the sound and goes about in his own thinking.

 

She is at 8 and Tatata goes every round, screaming each word out when he passes across her.

 

TIME..

IS…

PRECIOUS…

TIME…

FLIES…

TIME…

WAITS..

FOR…

NONE…..

 

She gets irritated words and angrily asks Tatata “What is the matter with you? What is with these words you are blurting out . I know” Time is precious” and I know  “Time flies” and  “Time waits for none. I KNOW IT.”

 

Do you know what time is? asked Tatata.

 

She stands there, still.

 

Tatata continues , “Time is now. That is it!  You don’t know what can happen the next second, the treasures they hold is unfathomable.”

 

Fuming in anger she  tells Tatata “Get lost , you won’t understand my suffering .”

 

It is 8.40 pm, HE and SHE meet.

 

SHE stands there angrily and not being able to take this anymore she screams out to him.

“I love you, I wait every day for this single moment to be with you and we get only these few moments with each other. Whatever your philosophy is about time and love, mine is simple. How much ever we love each other it makes no sense to me if we can’t be together forever. As far as I am concerned I can’t waste my time on something that is not permanent. I can’t live like you or live with you. Your philosophy might sound exciting but practically it is futile. This just won’t work for me.”

 

As and when she was speaking all this out , it was 8.41 pm and he moved away .

 

SHE looked at him and said, “SEE ,THIS IS REAL. You will move away and this is our reality. We can’t fight against what is real. Do you see it? We can never be together, ever.

She breaks down completely and starts weeping.

 

Neither SHE speaks to him nor does HE  utter a word to her in the next few rounds.

 

At 11.55am.

 

He decides to break the silence and tells her “I completely understand you, it made me feel the love you have for me but just think.,Every time I come here, you either think about how good

it was or  how bad it is going to be the next minute. Stay with me here and now. Don’t transport yourself either to the past or to the future. I get it completely, you want to be with me forever but forget the forever. Every second is part of the forever and whenever that ends it ends at the forever you are talking about. If we don’t live this moment even a hundred years or that forever is not enough. The time we laughed and smiled together was living in that moment , then what happened ? We lost our moments in constantly thinking about the future. Whether you want to kill every moment or live every moment is your choice but all I want to tell you is our love is HERE.NOW. Not anywhere else. It is not philosophy, it is the truth. I don’t want to force you into this, it is your decision. I will come back to see you at 12 and you have to tell me what is your call on this. If you still don’t want to live with me and you believe in your way then I will never speak to you about this ever. Let’s part our ways. It is completely at your discretion now. I have three more seconds..” he pauses, ogles at her, smiles and tells her “you are beautiful” and moves to 11.56. 

11.56… 11.57… 11.58… 11.59..

 

At the strike of 12.00

 

Dong….. Dong….. Dong ….not a single word uttered by her. He keeps looking at her.

Dong ..Dong…Dong  his heart sinks as he thinks it is over.

Dong …Dong…Dong…   she drags him close and kisses him.

Dong….Dong… SHE realizes at the strike of next DONG HE  is again going to leave her and this beautiful moment can’t extend itself for anyone. Her heart weighs heavy and with tears rolling down her cheeks she opens her eyes. She knew that he is not going to be here the next second. He stands there still. Hand in hand with her.

The clock stops, time freezes.