Mr Alyyel Kadzim lived at No.29 Jalan Sentosa,Muar,Johor,Malaysia.Long ago,a famous poet had lived in his house.Some people said he looked like the poet,but they weren't related.Alyy is a tall man with dark hair and a serious face.On his last birthday,he had turned twenty five and he starting to look mature.Other than what he looked like and the fact that he was wealthy,no one knew much about Alyyel Kadzim.
With the exception of his butler,Alyy lived alone in the house on Jalan Sentosa.When he wasn't home,he could usually be found at the Aye Club.This was where he ate most of his meals.With the master of the house away for so much of a day,the butler did not have a long list of everyday duties.But his small list was important.
Alyyel Kadzim was very particular about how he wanted things done.They had to be done exactly right.In fact,just this morning he had fired his butler,Ezzuddin Daut,for bringing him shaving water that was two degrees too cold!
Now Alyy was sitting in a sofa in his living room.He was waiting for his new butler to arrive.There was a strange clock in a corner of the room.It showed the hours,the minutes,the seconds,the days,the months,and the years.Alyy times his life by his clock.It was quite a sight when all the hands on the clocked moved at once.
It was just a few minutes before eleven thirty.At precisely eleven thirty,Alyy would leave for the Aye Club.There was a knock at the door and Ezzuddin stepped inside.He had just finished packing and was on his way out the door.
He said, "The new butler,sir" Then,he turned on his heel and left the room.
A young man of about twenty two stepped forward and bowed. "My name is Uni Green",he said.
"What time is it?" Alyy asked.
Uni pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it carefully. "Twenty two minutes after eleven, sir," he said.
"Your watch is slow,"Alyy replied.
"Pardon me,monsieur,but that is impossible-"
"Your watch is four minutes too slow," Alyy repeated. "Very well, From this very moment,eleven twenty six on Wednesday,October 2, 1887,you are now my butler."
With that said,Alyyel Kadzim got up from his sofa ,put on his hat,and left.
~
The sound of the closing door echoed through the empty halls. "Faith!" Uni whispered to himself. "I've seen figures at Chinese Heritage Museum that are livelier than my new boss!"
Uni had been searching for the perfect place to work since leaving Australia 5 months earlier.When he learned that Alyyel Kadzim was looking for a new butler,he jumped at the chance to work for him.He knew Mr Kadzim was a man who like things a certain way and Uni was looking for a good,solid routine. In fact,what Uni wanted above all else was an orderly life.
As he stepped out of the sitting room and into the hallway, he thought about what had just happened.It would be hard to know how he and Mr Kadzim would get along from that short meeting. Will I be able to do this job just as he wants me to? Uni wondered.
Uni set off to explore the house from top to bottom.What he found was a house that was so clean it shined. Everything had a place! While looking around on the second floor, he came up upon his own bedroom.There was were electric bells and long speaking tubes to help him keep him in touch with the lower floors.There were electrical clock on the mantelpiece.It was just like the on in Mr Kadzim's living room.It even kept the same time.
"This will do!" Uni said. "This will do!"
He glanced at the clock and noticed a piece of paper hanging on the wall.It was the schedule for all of his chores.
Perfect! Uni thought. Now i can learn the routine as well.
The entire day was planned.Alyyel Kadzim woke up at eight o'clock in the morning.Breakfast was to be brought at him exactly twenty minutes later.At nine thirty, he likes to wash his face.Uni knew what he should be doing every second of the day.In fact, there was a system for everything! Even Mr Kadzim's clothes and shoes were numbered according to when they were worn,whether day or night.
Having seen the house from top to bottom,Uni said aloud, "We'll get along just fine,Mr Kadzim and I.This is just what I wanted!"
