When Love Lasts

Chapter 5

"Hey. Remember this, Calvin?" said Charles Wallace.

He took out a cuckoo clock that looked like it was from Star Trek.

"Oh, yeah. Your old Mr Spock cuckoo clock" said Calvin.

"What does it do?" said Chad.

Charles Wallace shifted the minute hand on the clock so that it looked like it was 12:00.

Mr Spock's head emerged from the double-doors on the clock twelve times. 

And each of those times, his voice said "Live long and prosper".

"I got it for Christmas when I was five" said Charles Wallace.

"How nice" said Chad trying not to sound awkward.

"It does explain why I always heard Spock every hour back home" said Meg.

"Yeah, we haven't wound it up in years. Spock got a little annoying" said Calvin.

"But this clock is one of a kind" said Charles Wallace.

"So if it broke, there'd be none of it?" said Sam.

"You know, Charles Wallace, it's your old Christmas present. You keep it" said Calvin.

"Thank you!" said Charles Wallace excitedly.

"Thank you!" said Sam in annoyance.

"Thank you?" said Meg questioningly. 

"And remember our old gambling game that we played before we met the Beatles?" said Charles Wallace.

"Oh, yeah. I was thinking we could give that to Meg. It seems like Chad's kind of game" said Calvin.

"I'd love that, Cal" said Meg.

"How old is that game, kids?" said Chad.

"Well, we haven't played it in two years. Now that Meg has a man, she can play it again" said Sam.

"Well. That's nice to hear" said Meg.

"Here. What about... Calvin's 3D chess set?" said Sam.

"I was never good at 3D chess. That's another thing my dad hated about me. My poor chess playing skill" said Calvin.

"But Charles Wallace always won when Calvin visited us" said Meg.

"So maybe I should keep the 3D chess set" said Charles Wallace.

"Charles, lad, don't you think Calvin wants to keep something?" said Chad.

"Do you?" said Charles Wallace to Calvin.

"We haven't found anything yet, but maybe" said Calvin.