A Collection of Short Stories

04

"Anchor" by Novo Amor
9:45 am - 10:21 am

The sun began it's descent down into the forest. A range of mellow colors streamed across the sky. Pinks and oranges, with little blue left from the long lasting day. A small girl tugged at her father's sleeve as she urged him to pick up his pace.

"C'mon Daddy! We're going to miss it!"

she impatiently exclaimed at her father. Her father was a horologist. In other words, a clocks man. He never really spent much time outside because he was so focused on making it.

"Margaret please, we'll have enough time. Don't worry."

he chuckled as his small daughter pulled on his long sleeved, cuffed shirt.
Soft ticking could be heard from her father's vest. He kept pocket watches on him. As every tick went by the sun seemed to be in rhythm with it. Reaching the base of the Earth by every second.

The father and daughter met a small bench by an enormous lake. Margaret adjusted her dress as she placed herself on the bench. She held his hand and stared out over the water. He held hers in return and glanced down at her.

"Isn't it pretty, daddy?"

She smiled up to her father. Her brown eyes shone like the sun did on the water that they sat in front of. They were a beautiful chocolate brown. He met her eyes with a gentle look. He pat her soft head and looked out to the lake,

"It is, dear. But your beauty is unmatched to the ripples of the water under the remaining sunlight. The water nymphs wish they could be as gorgeous as you."

She laughed. "Water nymphs don't exist. I've never seen one before." He stopped her there. "Don't think they don't exist just because you've never seen one. In all due time you will someday. The world is hiding magic from us, but I have no doubt in my mind you'll find it. Perhaps here, at this very same lake."

She sighed and blew a strand of her hair out in front of her. "The ticking of your watches ruin the magic, Daddy." Margaret exasperated.

"Would you prefer them off?"

"I want them always off. I want to look at the sun go down everyday with you but you're always with your ticking gadgets."

"You know I can't help that sweetheart."

"But still—"

she turned her head to her dad and pouted. Her face began to fluster itself and turn pink to mimic the sky. She puffed out her cheeks and her eyes watered. "I just want to spend time with you! Not with your watches! It's what momma would've wanted!" She cried out to him and shoved her face into his sleeve. He looked down at her and his face was covered in grief. "Margaret, you know why I have to make these watches. You know why I spend hours creating clocks and building machines." The little girl lifted her head as her nose ran. "I don't. It doesn't make any sense." She mumbled. He stroked her hair and sighed with a small smile.

"You will, someday."

Those words echoed throughout the trees. They ran through the water of the lake that an older Margaret gazed at. Once the echo phased out, all that could be heard was the soft clicking of a pocket watch.

Margaret sat on the old rotted bench by herself. She held this pocket watch close to her heart. The sun was setting again like it once did years ago. The same brown eyes began to water at this sight. Tears that began to fall as the sun did, met a smile.

"I do, Dad. I understand. Thank you."