Time Watcher

       "Put the GUN down, now! Do it, put the gun DOWN!"

       "Nice and easy. Come on, easy, easy." 

       "Okay now, just put it down nice and easy. There we go, now turn around and put your hands over your head."

***

       The watch busted out wave length of sparks and silence. It couldn't be repaired anymore. Dan grabbed the pile of scrap and threw it out from his first-story apartment window with tears running down his cheeks. It had to come to an end after all these years.

       He received the watch from his father as an heirloom passed down for six generations back when watches were used for keeping time, marking time, planning against time. There was no one left who could made watch repair except him. He was the last on the timeline, the last watchmaker.

       People didn't care about old-fashion watches anymore, it had way passed the time where wearing a handmade watch would represent one's power and wealth which had been replaced by the digital platform now. The fact is, watches is the time's junk.

       He worked hard to keep his shop in the darker part of the alley, there's nothing could made him felt proud than his watches ticking.

       Most people would hustle pass his business, only a few would pay attention to the circling of the clock hands. People don't need watches because they have the time all over the place: on the grid, digital panels and interfaces. Time is the least they should worry about.

***

       A group of kids usually gathered around the alley once in a while to take money from the tenants, though they won't bother Dan since they knew there's no money from him, all he got were the watches.

       Only this time, new faces came by and threatened Dan for they didn't know the situation well. The kids did not play nice, one of them pulled him head-on to the glass panel and cracked his head right through, others trashed his clocks, throwing, knocking, stepping on them.

       For what seemed like an hour, Dan slowly regained conscious and stood straight, blood slipping down his forehead and glasses shattered everywhere. He sat down on the arm chair and took a few deep breaths.

       Other shopkeepers came offering help when the kids were gone, they helped him clean up the glass and collected as many damaged watch parts as possible in a pile. He thanked them and took a rest on the attic.

***

       The watch is beyond his help.

       He's old, his business’s going down and he couldn't even protect a single watch.

       He felt the cold from the gun in his pocket. He went to the street and stood in the middle of the traffic. He pulled the trigger under his chin.

       Silence. Time flew away.  

[What happened in the the timeline, stays in the timeline.]