The Bronze Clock Society

The last thing I remember was walking to school. It was mid-morning, the air crisp and clean, and a nice breeze going. So why am I here? How did I get here? I have just woken up to the sound of a chiming clock. My eyes felt heavy, but I got up anyway.

I awoke in horror to find myself in a strange room I had never seen before. Large marble columns with carvings of Queen Victoria filled the room. The floors, also made of marble, were shiny and reflected sunlight. I looked up at the wall to see a large stain glass window with images of gears on it. I stood up in awe of its beauty.

The clapping of high heels startled me. I turned around to find two identical teenage girls standing behind me. They even dressed in the same clothes. They wore fancy dresses, their sleeves short and puffed, their tops black with gold hoops attached, and their skirts were covered in burgundy lace and looked as if they were floating. The girls also wore simple black high heels.

"Good evening. I'm Belladon, short for Belladonna." says the first girl. "And I'm Wisteria" says the second girl. At the same time, they brush their long, silky, black hair off their shoulders. "Oh, I'm-I'm Carlette." I reply nervously. "Where are we?" I ask.

"The Bronze Clock Society headquarters, of course." says Belladon. "Why don't you come with us. We're having lunch very soon." says Wisteria and she grabs my arm and begins guiding me down a hall. As we continue down, I notice clockwork on the walls. "I see you've noticed our extensive collection of bronze clocks. Rather impressive, isn't it ?" says Belladon

It seems a bit strange, watching all those clocks tick in harmony as if they were one, but before I can think anymore of it, Wisteria keeps dragging me along. We come to a halt at the doorway of another room with fancy silver chairs and red carpeting. "Sit, sit, darling." the girls say together. I take my seat. "So are you twins? " I ask.

"No, but we are connected." replies Belladon. " How-" I begin to ask, but I'm interrupted. A giant tray comes floating down out of no where. I can see it's flying with the help of a steam engine, but the sight still amazes me. It is filled with several different fancy foods and the girls start digging in.

Then, Belladon makes a loud whistle. "Arthur, come fetch my red wine. Bring my best glasses, too."she orders aloud. Just seconds later, a small, rusty robot rolling on wheels comes in bearing a tray with a bottle of wine and three wine glasses. Wisteria pours the wine into the glasses and hands each of us one. "This is bound to marvel your taste buds. This wine is imported from a village in Italy."she says.

 "Oh, how lovely," I respond, not knowing what else to say. I was about to take a sip when I hesitated. Should I really be accepting a drink from some strangers? This isn't right. "Excuse me, but what is the Bronze Clock Society?" I finally ask.

 The girls stop and raise their eyebrows questionably. After a moment of dreaded silence, Belladon finally says "Ah, I see, you're only joking.". They continue to dine while I am left to wonder about the situation I had gotten myself into. Soon enough, though, I decide to eat.

  I inspect the floating tray and find it is carrying tiny sandwiches, biscuits, and pastries. I take one of each. I try the sandwich first and discover it is egg salad and lettuce. The biscuit is warm and flaky and melts in my mouth. The pastries are heavenly, some with creamy filling, others with a cake-like texture, and my favorite, a pastry filled with pistachios.

 As I eat more and more, my mouth becomes drier. I take my glass and have a sip of wine. I am surprised by the strong flavor. When I put my glass back down, I see the girls staring at me. "Is something wrong?" I ask

 "No, no," replies Wisteria. " We were just thinking...would you like to meet our other society members?". I stop and think for a moment. Then I reply a simple "Yes, please.". Other members, though? Hopefully they are as nice as Belladon and Wisteria.

 "Fantastic," says Belladon and she picks up an old-fashioned telephone. "Hello, Hemlock" she says a few seconds later. "Would you and the others please come down to the dining hall to meet our guest? Thank you.". She puts down her phone and looks out the door. Minutes later, I hear several high heels making their way toward us.

 "How many are there?" I ask. "Oh, only a few dozens," replies Wisteria. I take another sip of wine. As I drink it, my head feels dizzy andI decide to stop drinking it. When I look back up, I drop the whole glass in terrible shock. When I looked back up, dozens of girls, all identical to Belladon and Wisteria, are  in the room, staring at me.

 "Arthur, pick up those glass shards and get the stain out of the carpet, please," says one of the girls. This was much too scary for me to handle anymore. That was the moment I knew I was in mortal danger. "Um, it was really wonderful to meet you all, but I best be on my way. I know you really don't want to serve me all day" I tell them shakily. "Oh, but we insist you stay." says another girl.

 "I wish I could, but my family is expecting me soon," I continue. "Well, if you really must go, at least accept this gift before leaving," says yet another girl, handing me a large package wrapped in gold-colored paper. I carefully tear it off. I find a wooden box painted red with several gears on top of it. I open it to find a bronze clock, just like the clocks I had seen in the hallway earlier.

  The clock had roman numerals and its hands were decorated with little roses. "Did you enjoy the wine earlier?" asked a girl." Yes, I did." I reply. "Good, good...Now isn't that a lovely clock? Turn those hands to twelve, the chime it makes is beautiful.". I do as I'm told and the clock rings.

 Suddenly, I fell on the floor. My dizzy head hurts even more. My stomach grumbles. My throat feels chilly and like something is rising about it. The bronze clock continues to chime and I continue to feel worse.

 I want to scream, but I can't. My throat is already occupied. A silver mist is rising from it, sparkling in the air. The mist surrounds the ringing clock and is sucked into it. Though I am in pain, the girls begin reciting an oath

No need to worry any, child,

the Bronze Clock Society is here.

You will be proper and perfect

and drawn away from fear.

Sitting on my knees, my body grows limp and I can't take it anymore. I drop my head on to the floor and pass out. This is the end of me. My personality, my feelings, my memories, my life, it's all been sucked away.

 I awake hours later. Now I have the long, silky, black hair, perfect face, and beautiful dress everyone else has. I am perfect. A ringing sounds, letting me know a guest is here. I quickly stand up and walk down the hall.

 I pass by all those bronze clocks. I may not have the time to look at them all, but I know my clock is hanging on the wall. And I know in my clock, with every tick and tock it makes, is my former Carlette soul, screaming to be freed. But like all the other souls here, she is not perfect and cannot be let go.

 I reach the Arrival Room before anyone else.  I see a young girl with short, auburn hair and a sprinkling of freckles on her face, still asleep from her journey. She may not be perfect now, but she will be later. I don't want to disturb her yet, but thoughts are running through my mind, what we'll tell her later on.

 "Welcome to the Bronze Clock Society," says Belladon and Wisteria.

"Welcome to the Bronze Clock Society," everyone says.

In barely a whisper, I say aloud

Welcome to the Bronze Clock Society.