T
In the town square of Chronos, the great clock tower struck twelve. But instead of moving to one, the hand clicked back to eleven.
The world rewound.
The spilled milk flew back into the jug. The broken vase reassembled itself. The harsh words spoken in anger were sucked back into mouths.
It was the only town in the world where you got a second chance. Every day at noon, the last hour repeated.
Some used it to cheat at gambling. Some used it to taste a delicious cake twice.
But Elias used it to save his wife. Every day, at 11:55, a runaway carriage would strike her. Every day, the clock would rewind, and Elias would push her out of the way.
He had saved her 3,000 times.
"Why are you always so tired?" she asked him, seeing the exhaustion in his eyes.
"Because loving you is hard work," he smiled.
But the clock was breaking. The gears were grinding down. The rewinds were getting shorter. 50 minutes. 40 minutes.
Elias knew that one day, the clock would stop. The carriage would come. And he would have to let go.
He held her hand. "I love you," he said. "For all the time we had, and all the time we stole."
The clock struck. It moved forward. Tick. Tock.