Photo Copyright: Sandra Crook
Here we all are another week. Today we’re sitting in a virtual park where there’s an unusual clock. It has a central hourglass controlling it. Our hostess for this gathering is the gracious and talented author and artist, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. We’re the Friday Fictioneers group. Our challenge this week and every week is to write an original story with no more than 100 words. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and follow the picture prompt for the week. This week’s prompt was supplied by Sandra Crook. Thanks Sandra.
To read the other stories by the group, just click on the link given below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box.
The link for this week’s stories is as follows:
https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/19-february-2016/
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Word Count: 100 Words
THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK By P.S. Joshi
When first their mother, then their father died the Stevens family’s huge home had to be sold.
Each grown child chose a favorite furniture piece they wanted to keep. Beatrice chose the grandfather clock.
Their father had been a man of strict schedules and the clock, with its loud bongs, assisted him.
When Beatrice had married, she and her husband bought a tick-tocking mantle clock with a musical chime.
The afternoon the ancient clock entered their home, it dominated the small hallway.
With the first vibrating bongs, Beatrice thought, “I’ll have to find a larger home for my beloved clock.”
Musings on Life & Experience 
A fine tribute to your parents – moving house to accommodate their heirlooms. Nicely done.
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Thanks, Sandra. My dad did have a lot of antiques. I kept a table, but we sold most of them as my mother needed the money and we didn’t have the room. A friend of mine’s parents owned a big grandfather clock. It was that one I was thinking about for the story. I’m so pleased you liked the story. Good picture. 🙂 — Suzanne
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So that explains the large house 🙂 A grandfather clock is a great piece of furniture that needs the right house to go around it Well done, Suzanne!
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Thanks, Diana. I’m so glad you liked the story. I was remembering the clock belonging to the family of a friend of mine. They had a large house. I used to go for visits and enjoyed hearing the clock. It was fine in that big place. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Grandfather clocks are wonderful. We have a mere carriage clock, forever unwound.
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Thanks, Patrick. I was given a similar, although plainer clock at work for five year’s service. It’s been a good clock. My husband took a round back panel off to fix it once and lost the panel. Such is life. Mine doesn’t make any noise. The family of a good friend of mine had a grandfather clock. Their house was large enough to accommodate it. 🙂 — Suzanne
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You’d certainly need a large hallway to accommodate such an imposing clock!
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Thanks, Ali. You’d need a large house connected to a large hallway. I think of those big houses they show in the Agatha Christie mysteries on TV. Poirot even had a huge flat. 🙂 — Suzanne
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I rather like the downbeat tempo of this piece, Suzanne.
I find it strangely relaxing, thank you.
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Thanks, C.E. I’m so glad you liked the story. I was actually remembering a clock owned by the family of a good friend of mine. They had a home large enough for the clock. It started as a farmhouse owned by her uncle and he’d built two wings onto it. 🙂 — Suzanne
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I can see Beatrice’s children having the same dilemma when the sands of time ran out for her. What shall we do with the Grandfather’s clock? Do we also need to buy a new, larger home?
Thank You for the imagery of family and memories.
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Thanks, Carolyn. I meant to picture her finding a good home for the clock with someone else. It works both ways though and I can easily see why most readers thought it was the other solution. There would be the same problem if she and her husband moved to a larger home. I’m so glad you liked the story. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I can’t help myself…it’s my age showing. But when I read Grandfather Clock I think of the one on Captain Kangaroo.
I really did like your story. I hope Beatrice’s husband was good with upsizing to accommodate the clock. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. I realized after a couple of comments that most people read my story and thought of Beatrice and her husband moving to a larger home. When I wrote this I had in mind that she was going to find someone who wanted to take the clock. It works either way actually. I found that each time we moved it was to a smaller place. I’m so pleased you liked the story. 🙂 — Suzanne
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i just hope the husband agrees. 🙂
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Thanks, Plaridel. I was thinking more along the lines of her finding someone else’s big home for the clock. It works either way, though. I don’t think my husband would have upsized for a clock. 🙂 — Suzanne
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I agree with Sandra …. a fine tribute. Great write.
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We build our lives around things…or around childhood memories. Nicely done Suzanne.
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This is a great reminder not to insist having the grandfather clock… (The one in my parents home looks like a coffin)
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Good story, Suzanne. Most Grandfather clocks are now truly antiques. I remember seeing one as a child at my great grandmother’s.:)
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Relatives of mine had one of these, too, and I loved it as a child. I have no idea what became of it. Ther was a time when people threw out the old to make room for the new. I think this is a lovely story, and I also thought the narrator was upsizing. 🙂 It’s a heirloom, would you so easily give that away?
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Ha! This made me smile. I always wanted a grandfather clock. The closest thing I got was to hear my grandma’s cuckcoo clock. I thought that was a lot of fun! I can see furniture having that kind of impact in requiring more space, especially if one was really attached to it and it was an heirloom. Great piece, Suzanne!
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It seems to me it’s the volume, not the size that causes the problem. I wonder how many people have acquired a chiming, or even loudly ticking, clock, and never use it because of the unbearable noise when they’re trying to get to sleep at night. Good story.
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My wife bought a Grandmother’s clock at an antique sale. It is a little bit smaller and does not “boom” with the same authority as a Grandfather clock. Our house isn’t too big and petite size works well. Enjoyed your story, Suzanne.
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