JSYK30: Dismantled Treasure

I remember when I was about five or six I suddenly became obsessed with all things having to do with watches, clocks, and timing devices. The fact that they always ran, until you needed them, and the beauty of their elegant faces filled my little mind with happiness. My only problem was I couldn't get my hands on one. My father's watch was off limits, my mother's watch was too delicate, and the wall clock was too high for me to reach.

And so, in the spirit of my upcoming birthday, I firmly requested a watch of my very own to love and admire. My father agreed that it was high time got a watch so I could start learning how to measure that illusion of time. And so, happily content that my new watch would soon be adorning my wrist, I went for a walk around my neighborhood.

I hadn't walked far (mostly because I wasn't allowed to) before I saw something gleaming in the grass, nestled among the dandelions. Upon further inspection I discovered it was an old watch with a aesthetic face and worn leather wrist band. I could tell that it was far past it's time with a crack in the glass and the absence of its delightful ticking. I also realized that I was able to pry it open with my little finger, if I really tried.

Following my childhood logic, I needed to know my birthday present inside and out before I could properly love it. So, I sat down, right there, on the pavement and began to take the old watch apart, placing the pieces in front of me with the utmost care. It fascinated me that, behind such a simple face, there was an intricate working that I couldn't even see properly without holding the pieces right up to my tiny face.

Apparently, I did this for quite a while, because my mother came looking for me and found me sitting cross-legged on the ground examining my dismantled treasure. I looked at the pieces one more time, and, happily content that I had learned all I could from the tiny fragments, walked home with my new knowledge.

My birthday came a few days later, and one small box had me shaking with excitement, but upon opening it, I quietly observed the Mickey Mouse necklace hanging from a silver chain.

My mother looked at me and said, "Since you took apart that other watch, I figured you really didn't want one after all..."

Ah, the irony  : )