The Silver Clock

The afternoon was silent and everything was in place as Pauline sat silent on their sofa with a book in her hand, obviously she was reading. Her dark hair fell perfectly on her back and her wide blue eyes were fixed on the book she was reading. She was at home all alone her Mama and Papa had gone to the market to buy goods for supper and left their only daughter alone.
"Where's your mama?" a voice said from a distance, Startled Pauline held her book down for awhile and her gazed followed to where she heard the voice. "Who's there?" Pauline asked though scared she held herself together and gather all courage there was inside her. "Mama and Papa are gone aren't they?" the voice said again, the voice was small like it belonged to a child but Pauline knew that there were no children in their household. "Tell me, who or what are you?" Pauline said now standing up, putting her book down slowly on the wooden table beside the chair. "I am you" the voice said but it changed its tone now sounding more like her. "You are me?" Pauline said with a chuckle "how can that be there is one me and that's me" Pauline added going every corner of their house looking where the mysterious voice is coming from. "I am you from the past" the voice answered now back to its child like tone, "I am you in your present" the voice added changing its tone sounding like her, "and I am you on your future" the voice finally said sounding like an old woman. "I AM MY PAST, I AM MY PRESENT, AND I AM MY FUTURE!" Pauline now shouted out of fury and fear not knowing where these voices are coming from and why did it say that she was her. The voice was no more probably frightened of Pauline's Fury yet just as it mysteriously appeared the same way it went.

It was supper the all three Connors were arranged in there dining table to start dinner Mr. and Mrs. Connors were enjoying a plate of ham and cheese while Pauline was staring blankly on the table. "You alright dear?" Mrs. Connors asked her daughter. "I'm fine mama" Pauline answered cutting her momentary thinking. "Did something happen?" asked her mother again. Pauline was hesitant at first thinking that her parents might find it stupid if she would tell them what happened that afternoon yet these were her parents in front of her not cranky Mr.Dublin who would shout at her with his croaky voice if she would trespass on his lawn, her parents; the only people she knows she can share her feelings with no matter what they were, and so Pauline told them about the mysterious voice she heard that afternoon. "Mama it was creepy yet it sounded just like me but at times it would be of a child then that of an old woman." Pauline said her eyes looking straight at her Mama somewhat pleading her to believe what she was saying. "Dear maybe you were imagining things." Mr.Connors said placing his right hand at Pauline's shoulder. "Papa it was not my imagination I heard it." Pauline now said like a criminal telling the police that she's innocent. "Dear why don't you go and rest for awhile in your room." Mrs.Connors said to Pauline. Disappointed that her parents didn't believe her, Pauline got up silently and went to her bedroom.

Pauline was now lying on her bed unable to sleep due to earlier events."I'm sorry about awhile ago sweetheart" Mrs.Connors said as she entered the Pauline's room. the single lamp illuminated her mothers face showing how similar it was to hers, Mrs.Connors sat down on her bed and caressed her arms to somewhat show comfort towards her daughter "Listen love, you might think that i didn't believe you but i actually do." Mrs.Connors said placing her face closer to Pauline's. "Really Mama? you do believe me?" Pauline said with a trance on her mood."Yes in fact when i was about your age I experienced the same thing right at this very house." "REALLY?!" Pauline exclaimed her gaze and attention were completely locked on her mother. "Shh... don't be too loud dear, your father might awaken." Mrs.Connors said trying to relax her daughters undeniable excitement. "What is it Mama? What is that voice? is it a Ghost? Tell me Mama." Pauline asked her mother now more calm than earlier. "That my love, is the voice of yourself." Mrs.Connors said sounding as if it was something very deep. "Myself? So Papa was right, It was just my imagination after all." Pauline said. "No sweetheart, That was yourself but that wasn't your imagination. Honey it seems confusing but it is how it is, There are things inside us that we carry and those things are what we gather from our past." Mrs.Connors said looking straight to her daughter to see if she had understood what she said. "I'm sorry Mama but I am really confused" Pauline said looking really puzzled. Mrs.Connors took her daughters left arm an revealed a scar. "Remember how you got this scar Pauline?" Mrs.Connors asked. "I got it when I was 12, fell from a tree and wounded myself." Pauline answered with a smile. "Exactly, at first it was wound and later it's just a scar, though the pain is no more, yet there is still a token of the event." Mrs.Connors said brushing her daughter's hair. Pauline now figured out what her Mama was saying yet there was a question left in her. "Mama the voice or rather my voice said something about being my present and being my future?" Pauline asked her Mama. "My child, you are your present, what you make of yourself now describes you, and who you are in the future will be because of you alone. In other words it is you who make yourself whether it was your past, your present and your future." Mrs.Connors said to her daughter. Pauline was quiet now. "Hold on a moment, I'll get something" Mrs.Connors stood up an went away for awhile. Pauline was no seated on her bed. "I was right" she told herself as she remembered what she said to the voice that afternoon. "I am my past, I am my present, and I am my future." She understood now what her Mama was telling her. She snapped out of her thinking as Mrs.Connors arrived at her room again, this time she had a silver clock with her. "You know what this is?" Mrs.Connors said smiling as she approach her daughter. "That's your precious silver clock." Pauline answered. "This is not mine, this belongs to my mother's, and her mother's mother. A family heirloom as we say it." Mrs.Connors said now seated right beside Pauline. The silver clock was clearly old yet it was still working and was clearly well maintained. "My mother told me that as the silver clocks hits every second of our past, we change, and as it hits every second of our present, we change, and as it will continue to hit the seconds of our future, we will change yet it is up to us how we change cause we are our past, we are our present, and we will be our future. Someday I'll hand it over to you when your ready" Mrs.Connors said smiling at her daughter. Pauline realized her Mama was right. "Thank you Mama." Pauline said. "You are most welcome dear, now get to bed." Mrs.Connors said as she tucked her daughter for the night and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Goodnight my love" she said finally and made her way through the door. Pauline fell asleep that night knowing that she is her past, she is her present and she will be her future.

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