The Timekeeper's Watch

Chapter Thirteen - Sightless Brothers and the Yellow Book

The house was empty and silent when Thom arrived home. He wished his mother were home, so he might ask her about his grandfather and his history of Timekeeping. It continued to rain all night, and when Thom woke the next morning and drew back the curtain on his second story window, he saw a grizzly grey sky.

Thom quietly stopped in the hallway by his mother's room, the door sat slightly ajar. He saw her curled up form asleep in the darkened room and surmised that she must've come in quite late. Thom had always wondered if she enjoyed housekeeping at the nearby Green Creek Inn, but he'd never asked her. She hadn't needed to work when his father was alive, as he had brought in enough for them to make ends meet in their little house.

Thom quietly brought the door to a close, then made sure to throw a waterproof jacket over his clothes before he left the house for the tram stop at the edge of town.

As he sat in the open structure and watched the sleeting rain, he looked across at the townspeople going about their business. A truck had paused by the back of the Inn and two men climbed out and slammed the cab door. Thom watched as they walked around in the pouring rain to the back of the truck and swung opened the back doors.

One of the men, his swagger almost familiar, paused and looked back and Thom stood to his feet in recognition. The man's familiar brown features surveyed the wet surroundings before he jumped into the back of the truck.

'George?' Thom called. He remembered what his mother had said a few days earlier about his brothers new job, when George had stormed from the garden.

The other man turned slowly around at Thom's call. He saw him mouth something in the direction of the truck and a moment later George's head reappeared around the side of the door.

Thom stood awkwardly and silently, unsure of what to do next. This was the most he'd seen his brother in a long time; twice in just a few days.

George said a few words to the other man with a scowl on his face, then disappeared once more. Thom watched as the man shrugged and wandered off towards the back door of the Inn where deliveries were brought.

Thom sat down again to wait for the tram. He sighed and chastised himself – what did he expect George to do? Come over and have a chat and ask him how he's been?

Thom watched through the rain as the two of them unloaded a series of boxes, then George rounded the truck and hoisted himself into the driver's seat, without even so much as a glance back. The engine turned over, and the truck sidled away up the cobblestoned road.

***************

Thom arrived to Lutwyche's office wet and grumbling after seeing his brother at the tram stop. His shoes squeaked and the bottom of his pants were wet from the rain. He felt his socks squelch as he stepped onto the lush carpet of Lutwyche's office. Lutwyche took one look at him and nodded him inside, neither pleased nor displeased.

The little yellow leather book Thom had seen him with last time he'd been here sat in the centre of the desk.

'What is that?' Thom asked.

'That - as you so eloquently put it, Mr Firth, is the Timekeeper's Guide on Resetting Through the Ages. It is very old, and it is quite priceless,' Lutwyche picked it off the desk and handed it over to Thom. 'So please, be careful with it.'

Lutwyche nodded to the corner of the room, where an empty desk and chair stood. 'Sit. Over there. And read.'

Thom quietly did as he was told. The book's spine was stiff and a bit cracked, but otherwise in acceptable condition. He set it on the desk and opened it, turning each page with slow care.

'Excuse me, sir, but which part do I read?'

Lutwyche eyed him down the brim of his nose from where he sat across the room and remained silent. Thom turned back to the book, supposing that was his answer, and started reading from the first page.

After what felt like hours of sitting in wet socks and reading tiny monotonous text from the yellow book, Thom gave a yawn. Lutwyche replied by clearing his throat to get Thom's attention.

'We are done for the day, Mr Firth. You may take your leave,' he said, without looking up from the papers at his desk. Thom wondered what it was he was looking at so intensely.

'But we haven't done anything yet, sir? I've only just been reading this book.'

Lutwyche glanced over at him. 'Yes, you've been reading for four hours.'

Thom blanched. It had felt like hours because it had quite literally been hours.

Not needing to be told twice, Thom stood and stretched and picked up his backpack ready to leave.

'Leave the book,' Lutwyche added. 'There's a very small chance of that book leaving this office Thomas and I would have to be dead in order for that to occur.'

Thom raised his brows and put the book back down on the desk, then made for the door. Lutwyche said nothing further and Thom found himself shaking his head in confusion once he was out the door. The old man could certainly be strange sometimes.

Thankfully, Thom's socks were now dry and luck had it that it was still within visiting hours, so Thom made for the infirmary. Some classes had just finished and he found the need to weave through the crowded hallways. As he reached the Infirmary door, he saw Neaka on her way out.

'Oh, Thom, hi,' she said cheerfully. 'I was just visiting Artie.'

'How's he doing?'

'Much better. Nurse Gershome thinks he might be able to leave by tomorrow.'

'That's fantastic.'

'It is,' she beamed. 'How are you? Have you had your lesson with Lutwyche?'

Thom nodded, then sighed. 'It was riveting. I read a book.'

Neaka raised her eyebrows. 'Oh? That sounds... fascinating?'

'Exactly... it was so boring. I don't even remember what I read at this point. My brain is so overloaded I can't even think straight.'

'So you probably aren't too keen on coming by mine to check out our library then, huh?'

The colour almost drained from Thom's face and Neaka laughed. 'It's fine. Don't worry about it. I can see you're about tapped out. We can rain check it.'

Thom almost sighed again, but this time out of thankfulness. 'Thank you Neaka. The last thing I want to look at today is more books. I'm done with books.'

'Don't let Artie hear you say that,' Neaka smiled.

'I definitely am still interested. Don't get me wrong.'

'I know you are,' Neaka said, still smiling. Then she raised a single brow at him and left.

Thom fumbled with the door before going through to see Artie.