The Clock That Stayed at Ten Past
Chapter 1Ten Past Four
At ten past four, Binyomin was ready.
At ten past four, he put on his coat.
At ten past four, he sat down again.
His uncle had offered to take him to the bookbinder's workshop after collecting a repaired book. He had said around four, but the small clock on the mantelpiece seemed to have taken "around" very seriously.
Binyomin watched its long hand.
Outside, a delivery cart rattled past. Somebody knocked at the house next door.
Inside, the clock did not tick.
Binyomin hadn't noticed that yet.
He was busy deciding his uncle had forgotten him.
Chapter 2The Workshop in His Head
Binyomin had seen the workshop window many times. Long brushes hung above the bench, and books stood in wooden presses.
Uncle Shmuel knew the bookbinder and had arranged for Binyomin to watch, if he stayed with the adults and did not touch the tools.
Now Binyomin imagined the door shutting for the evening.
He imagined his uncle going home with the repaired book.
He imagined himself telling his cousins the visit had been cancelled because nobody remembered him.
He hadn't been told any of those things.
He took his coat off.
The clock still said ten past four.
Chapter 3The Hallway Time
Mummy came through the room with a basket of folded towels. Her cream tichel was tied behind her head.
"Have you looked at the hall clock?"
"This one says ten past."
"This one stopped this morning. Your father hasn't fixed it yet."
Binyomin went into the hall.
It was twenty-five past four.
That made the wait longer, not shorter.
"He really is late."
"Later than around four, yes. We still don't know why."
Binyomin wished the broken clock had been the whole problem.
It was only one piece of it.
Chapter 4Asking for a Check
"Can we find out whether the visit is still happening?" he asked.
Mummy checked with Uncle Shmuel and came back with an answer.
He had been delayed at a meeting. He was on his way, but they would have less time at the workshop.
"Would you still like to go for a shorter visit?" she asked.
Binyomin said yes.
He also said, "I wish he had told us before."
"You can tell him that politely. We can ask him to give us an update if a plan changes next time."
It was different from telling his cousins that Uncle Shmuel had forgotten him.
One described what was missing. The other invented why.
Chapter 5The Front Step
Uncle Shmuel arrived at twenty to five.
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," he said. "The meeting took longer than expected."
Binyomin stood on the front step with his coat buttoned.
"I thought you might have forgotten. It would have helped to know you were delayed."
"You're right. I should have let you know."
Mummy confirmed when they would return. Uncle Shmuel checked that the bookbinder was still expecting them.
Only then did they leave.
The day had not gone back to four o'clock.
Binyomin could still use the time that remained.
Chapter 6The Short Visit
The bookbinder was putting brushes away when they arrived.
"We have fifteen minutes," he said. "I can show you the finished binding and the press. The cutting demonstration will have to wait for another visit."
Binyomin was disappointed. He had wanted to see the big cutter.
He stayed beside his uncle, well away from the tools, while the bookbinder opened the repaired volume.
The spine bent smoothly. A strip of blue cloth reinforced the hinge.
"This is what keeps the cover moving with the pages," the bookbinder said.
Binyomin asked to see it from the other side.
Fifteen minutes was not the visit he had planned. It was enough for a question he hadn't known to ask.
Chapter 7The Return Time
On the walk home, Uncle Shmuel asked whether he would like another visit.
"Yes. But can we pick a time when your meeting isn't just before it?"
His uncle smiled.
"We'll check a day with more room. I won't promise one until I know."
They returned at the time Mummy had agreed.
Binyomin showed her the drawing the bookbinder had made of the hinge.
Then he told her that he had missed the cutting demonstration.
Both belonged in his report.
He had enjoyed something, and something had been lost because they were late.
Chapter 8The Sound on the Mantelpiece
Abba fixed the little clock after supper.
Its tick sounded louder than Binyomin remembered.
He checked it against the hall clock before putting away his coat.
The next time he waited for someone, he wanted the right time first.
Then, if the person was late, he could ask about the plan without deciding their reason in advance.
The clock could tell him how long he had waited.
It could not tell him why somebody else had kept him waiting.
For that, there had to be another conversation.
