“Tell us a story Grandpa!” demanded Susie.
“Please,” her brother Gregory begged.
“Oh alright, just one and then it’s off to bed,” consented their grandfather. He sighed and sat down deeper in the chair. He motioned for the two children to come and sit on his lap. “I’ll tell you about your great-great-great grandfather, his name was Isaac Smith. He was a very interesting man if you believe the story. It has been told only orally, though, so you can decide which parts are original and which are those of fiction.
“It all started in 1789. Isaac was about 20 years old. At this time America was still a fairly new country. It was also in a bit of financial trouble from war debts. Isaac had a unique job. He was a thief, and one night changed the course of this family forever.”
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America, 1789

Mist surrounded him as he stood in the shadows underneath a bridge. He nervously looked up at the clock tower. 11:00. He sighed, realizing how little time he had left. A thief’s life isn’t easy, he thought. The fact that he was mute did help. Growing up he always found it a liability, but after learning what happened to a loud thief he quickly adapted to the idea that silence was golden.
Horse’s footsteps could be heard along with the rumble of carriage wheels as it pulled up to the bridge. A man stepped out. “I could have sworn I saw him go this way,” exclaimed the man who was a jeweler. Isaac stiffened against the wall. Muscles tense, he waited for a reply.
“Can you describe him for us sir?” the officer asked.
“Sure, let’s see, he was tall and lanky, pale, and had very little black hair,” the man replied.
Isaac smiled. His hair wasn’t fashionable, due to the fact he had cut it close to his scalp, but what thief wants to be caught because his hair blew in the wind? He reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out his prize. It was a pocket watch, not just any pocket watch though, it was made entirely out of emerald. All except for the face. He brought it up to his ear. Tick, tick, tick, it whispered counting down his seconds.
“I can assure you that we will do our best to find him,” the officer replied.
Isaac heard them get into the carriage and ride back into town. Relived he continued his mad dash for the woods. When he got to the edge of the trees he stopped out of habit and peered into the darkness as if trying to find the secrets of the forest with his eyes. Many of the superstitious townsfolk claimed that this forest was haunted with a wide variety of demons, witches, werewolves, vampires, and other strange beasts. Isaac gulped hoping that the woman who paid him to get this watch also provided him protection. He entered the woods knowing that if she didn’t get the watch by midnight he would lose his life. It was a price he was willing to pay though considering that he could retire on the money he was going to be paid.
After twenty minutes of wandering he ended up in a meadow. She was there too. Her white dress ghosted around her feet. “You are early,” her voice sounded ancient and young at the same time. “I think that deserves a special bonus,” she lifted her arm and a bolt of lightning erupted from it to Isaac’s throat.
He gasped, “Are you mad!?” then after realizing that he just spoke he clutched his throat and stared dumbstruck straight into her ice blue eyes.
“Never question a gift, it could easily be taken back,” she was raising her arm again when Isaac interrupted her.
“No! Please don’t. I truly appreciate it. Thank you kind lady,” he gave a bow of respect. “Now I hate to cut things short, but I believe I was promised a great reward.”
“First, my watch,” she said. Isaac took it out of his pocket and looked at it one last time. He held it out and it was whisked from his hand by an invisible force and flew to the lady.
She tossed him a bag of coins, “that will suffice?”
Isaac took a quick peek inside, “oh yes, this is fine. Before I leave may I ask you a question?”
“You just did,” the lady replied.
Embarrassed Isaac tried again, “what is so special about that watch?”
The lady looked at him as she considered what to say, and then tossed the watch back to him. “If you can figure it out then it is something you were meant to know. If you cannot then it is something you were never meant to understand.
“I must warn you though. Human brains and emotions are much more sensitive to magic than those of creatures of the night. If you can unlock the secrets of this watch you risk insanity. If you are brave enough to risk this and survive, you will have the most powerful source of all. Knowledge.”
“What makes knowledge so powerful?” Isaac queried.
“Humans cannot use their entire brain. Us witches and warlocks have power because we know how to. When we use our entire brain we can push our bodies to their physical limits and manipulate reality. If you gain this power you will become a superhuman. Now it is time for you to leave. Good bye Isaac Thomson. If you figure out the watch we will meet again. If not then our meeting today will be a faint memory to tell your children,” with that she vanished.
Isaac turned and left for home. For weeks after this meeting in the woods he studied the watch. Under a magnifying glass no secret revealed itself to him. It was not until one evening when he was studying it in the moonlight of midnight did he see the riddle inscribed very small on one of the hands.
“I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?”
Excited that he had gotten one step closer he rushed home to figure out the riddle. More weeks went by before he found the answer. When he figured it out he held up the watch and whispered to it the answer it requested.
“Tomorrow or the future,” he said.
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The grandfather gently pushed the two children off of his lap, “time for bed.”
“What about the end of the story?” Gregory complained.
“Yeah, did he get the power of knowledge? Did he ever see the witch again?” asked Susie. The grandfather stared into her blue eyes as her black hair bounced around her head.
“That is another story that I will tell you when you older. Now stop complaining. It’s time for bed,” he walked with them to their room and tucked them in. then he made his way back to the living room. Reaching up to the mantle he pulled down a small box. As he opened it he sighed. Inside, nestled in a cushion, was an emerald watch.

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 03.11.2011

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Widmung:
To Edgar Allan Poe, the father of mysteries and bone chilling tales.