The Clock That Forgot Time

A grand clock tower suddenly stopped at midnight and refused to move. Villagers assumed it had broken. But every time they tried to repair it, the gears locked harder. A child suggested asking the clock why it stopped. That night, they climbed inside and listened. The clock ticked once and whispered, “You have measured life too much and lived it too little.” At sunrise, people stopped checking their watches. The clock never moved again, yet the village finally did.