Tick, tick, tick the hollow clock squatting behind the cluttered desk echoed.
Muted sunlight filtered through half-closed blinds onto a hastily sketched letter lying open on top of the messy desk. A wet stain of some clear liquid wrinkled the paper and blurred the inked letters together. There was no cup of water on the desk, only papers, a worn-out file box oft chewed by mice, an old picture, and a pencil.
Tick, tick, tick, went the squat, hollow clock with a scratch on its side.
The desk chair, dusty and smelling of stiff cologne, rested askew from the desk. Cold air from a floor vent made a grey mantel sway back and forth as it hung from the chair. A fly buzzed mournfully over the mantel and landed against the far egg-white wall. The coffee-stained oak door creaked as currents of air pushed it on its hinges. A second door could be heard squealing each time it opened.
Tick, tick, tick, said the hollow clock with a chip on its door.
Next to the fly on the wall was a slightly crooked framed picture of a man, a woman, and a dog. An older picture lay face-up on the desk underneath the letter. The glass was cracked, and the frame was scuffed. The door slammed closed and a breeze shifted the letter and it fell to the floor.
Tick, tick, tick, sang the hollow old grandfather clock with a crack on its face.
Through the cracks could be seen a picture of the same man and woman, without the dog, wrapped in thick coats and hugging each other close. Written in red ink across the picture were the words 'love you 'til I die.' On the letter from far away, in messy writing and black ink sprawled five words 'I will keep loving you.'
Tick, tick, dong, went the hollow clock out of time.
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The Unknown Tales: A Collection of Short Stories, One Shots, and More
Short StoryGoblins, gnomes with a vengence, giant snake ladies, killer horses, elves with dark secrets, bullet-proof knights, and Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies lurk between and among the stories. Brave are the adventurers who conquer these pages, for what lurk...