Watchmaker

In the year 1897, in Paris, during the era later known as La Belle Époque, there lived a young and talented boy named Na. Originally from Morocco, his true passion lay in bicycles. Through his drawings, he portrayed intricate visions of various inventions. These drawings showcased a group of people riding bicycles of all shapes, with three, four, and even five wheels.

One drawing, particularly, depicted a couple on a bicycle, covered with the small interior of large wheels, creating an illusion of being on the brink between visibility and invisibility.

Na's drawings reflected both his artistic style and the kind of life he envisioned. In his drawings, nature served as the backdrop, people wore smiles, and mechanical inventions served as their means of self-expression, representing the spirit of the time in which they lived.

Tragically, Na, also known as Nassim, lost his life in the First World War. However, someone managed to preserve his drawings. In 1926, an art collector named James Atwood came across these remarkable drawings while walking down a street. The images deeply moved him, as they encapsulated a profound sense of hope, imagination, and freedom of spirit. This prompted James to investigate the artist behind these drawings.

After conducting extensive research, he was able to track down Nassim's daughter, who shared some intriguing stories about her father.

Here is what James discovered about this talented draftsman.

Nassim, a talented but impoverished individual, possessed only a pen. Through participation in various street games, he managed to win a bike. This newfound possession consumed his thoughts entirely. Over time, he connected the bike's handles with the pedals, creating an electric bike. Curiosity piqued among the people on the street, who desired a similar bicycle.

Na lived a solitary life, with his parents residing in Morocco while he studied the art of crafting pocket watches in Paris under the guidance of an experienced watchmaker. The watchmaker taught him about various time-measuring instruments, including clocks, hourglasses, sundials, and time recorders.

Immersed in his thoughts, Na frequently retreated to nature with his pen and paper. In his silent suffering, Nassim began experiencing dreams and visions of a woman. He depicted these visions through drawings, creating a series of illustrations. These drawings portrayed Na on a bicycle, inventing something new. The bicycle was blue and had three wheels that merged into one another. Another drawing depicted a wealthy man observing from a central perspective, and holding a simple bike. Interestingly, the appearance of this man was only evident in the drawings. Each illustration featured a young lady, clad in a black dress and white hat, riding the blue bicycle Na had invented. Notably, none of the drawings revealed her face.

According to Nassim's daughter's explanation, her father would see Valentina in his dreams and eventually, she started appearing near the place where he would go to find solitude. She would come on a blue bicycle to a specific freshwater source. Na was hesitant to speak with her or unsure if she was real.

In one of his drawings, he depicted a fountain in the shape of a hat and a motorbike with a woman dressed in black leather. The story shared by Evelin, the draftsman's daughter, informs us that her grandfather was a watchmaker not satisfied with Valentina's choice, despite liking Nassim a lot.

After being rejected, Na eventually made amends.

However, it so happened that Na created some incredibly powerful clocks. The story suggests that by holding one of these clocks, you could have visions of different versions of an invention from various time periods, including those that had not yet been invented.

The pocket clock had a golden cover with a meteorite back, clock hands, and Arabic numerals.

A man appeared and desired that clock, but Nassim refused, leading the man to become abusive.

Valentina and Na concealed the clock in a secret location to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

James made a note indicating their happiness, and in 1910, they welcomed their first child. Tragically, two years later, Valentina was fatally injured while riding her blue bicycle, which was never recovered. Evelin, her daughter, later informed James that her father was devastated and suspected the men who coveted the clock.

Nassim perished in the First World War, leaving Evelin in the care of her grandfather. James often wondered about the current whereabouts of the pocket clock. Has it remained hidden or has it been discovered?

Drawing inspiration from these events and love stories, James Atwood created a comic book featuring five individuals in a world where electric bikes were the only means of transportation. Their mission was to pursue a man with a magical clock. However, after numerous crimes were committed, they eventually abandoned the story, declaring it to be the product of an inventor's imagination. Yet, the drawings suggest that the clock may still be buried deep underground.