Š 2013 Colin Albin
Tom’s&Tales& by& Colin&Albin& ! & Chapter&1& The&Silver&Clock& ! It!was!a!quiet,!lonely!place!where!I!used!to!meet!him.!Must!be!over!thirty!years!ago!now.!About! 1978,!I!guess.!I’d!leave!my!bike!near!the!reservoir!along!from!the!Black!Dog!Inn.!There!was!a!path!on! the!opposite!side!of!the!road.!Not!the!main!footpath,!which!was!quite!clearly!marked,!just!a!parting! in!the!long!grass.!You’d!hardly!notice!it!if!you!didn’t!know!it!was!there.!The!path!led!through!thick! woods!until!it!reached!a!clearing.!It!was!there!that!I!used!to!meet!with!Old!Tom.! !
I!nearly!turned!back!the!first!time!I!saw!him!sitting!on!the!tree!trunk.!I!was!only!twelve!and!I!
didn’t!expect!to!meet!anyone!in!that!place.!I!got!a!shock!to!be!honest,!and!I!was!afraid!of!him!at!first.! He!looked!a!bit!strange,!really!thin!and!gaunt,!with!short!cropped!hair,!balding!on!top.!He!was!a!tall! man!with!bright,!shiny!eyes,!hollow!cheeks!and!a!funnyLlooking!nose,!which!appeared!to!be! somehow!split!in!the!middle.!And!he!wore!dark!green!trousers!with!striped!braces!and!a!black! waistcoat.!As!I!came!through!the!trees!into!the!opening,!Old!Tom!was!puffing!on!his!pipe.!He!soon! spotted!me,!though.! !
‘Hey!there,!little!fella.!Come!and!sit!down!here.!Nice!and!comfy!this!old!tree.’!I!hesitated!and!
didn’t!know!whether!to!run!or!do!what!he!said.!But!I!didn’t!want!to!be!rude!to!an!old!man,!so!I! walked!towards!him,!slowly.!I!was!looking!at!him!all!the!time!as!I!walked.!Something!drew!me!to! him,!odd!though!he!was.!I!couldn’t!really!say!why.!
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‘That’s!it,!lad.!Now,!just!sit!there,!why!don’t!you.’!So!I!sat!next!to!him!on!that!old!tree!trunk.!
I’m!not!sure!what!kind!of!tree!it!was,!but!he!was!right.!It!was!very!comfy!indeed.!‘Now,!what!are!you! up!to!in!Greenbank!Meadow?’!he!said,!looking!me!right!in!the!eye.!Although!I’d!never!met!Old!Tom! before,!he!made!me!feel!at!ease.!Almost!as!if!I!had!known!him!for!years.! !
‘Oh,!I!didn’t!know!this!was!Greenbank!Meadow,’!I!said.!‘Someone!told!me!there!were!some!
big!horse!chestnut!trees!around!here.!I!was!looking!for!conkers,!you!see.’! !
‘Ah!conkers,’!he!said!with!a!glint!in!his!eye.!‘I!used!to!play!conkers!when!I!was!your!age.!Look!
–!there’s!a!few!whoppin’!horse!chestnut!trees!over!there.’!! !
My!eyes!lit!up.!‘Wow,!look!at!all!those!conkers!!Some!real!beauties!too!’!Quite!a!treasure,!I!
thought.!But!though!they!were!exactly!why!I’d!made!this!special!journey,!I!didn’t!rush!to!collect! them.!I!wanted!to!chat!to!Old!Tom!a!bit!longer.! !
‘I’m!Tom,’!he!said,!and!he!paused.!‘Old!Tom’s!what!people!call!me.’!He!held!out!his!hand!in!
an!official!sort!of!way.!When!I!shook!it,!I!sensed!that!he!seemed!to!be!holding!on!until!I!told!him!my! name.!! !
‘I’m!Len.!My!mum!and!dad!always!call!me!Leonard,!but!everyone!else!calls!me!Len.’!!
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‘Nice!name!that,!Len.!Very!nice!name.!I’m!pleased!to!meet!you.’!He!let!go!of!my!hand!and!
gave!a!guarded!kind!of!smile.!I!was!already!growing!to!like!Old!Tom.!He!took!a!puff!on!his!pipe!and! stared!up!at!the!sky.!His!face!was!full!of!nooks!and!crannies.!I!had!the!feeling!that!each!one!was!filled! with!a!dark!secret!of!some!kind.! !
It!was!a!warm,!bright!autumn!day,!with!just!a!few!clouds!hovering!in!the!distance.!
Greenbank!Meadow!was!a!truly!beautiful!spot.!Eerily!quiet,!though,!which!made!it!a!bit!scary.!The! sun!shone!right!into!it!and!lit!up!the!long!grass,!making!quite!a!contrast!with!the!darkness!of!the!tall,! forbidding!trees!surrounding!it.!And!when!you!weren’t!speaking,!you!could!hear!a!gentle!stream!
somewhere!in!the!woods.!If!Old!Tom!hadn’t!been!there,!I!don’t!think!I’d!have!stayed!long.!It!seemed! to!be!cut!off!from!the!rest!of!the!world!and!it!was!quite!spooky.! !
We!chatted!for!a!while!and!then!he!said:!‘Molly!was!about!your!age.’!He!wasn’t!staring!at!
the!sky!now!and!I!detected!a!sadness!in!his!voice.! !
‘Who’s!Molly?’!
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‘Ah.!You!never!heard!of!Molly!then?’!
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‘No.’!
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‘I’ve!got!her!clock!you!know.!Lovely!silver!clock!it!is.!She!lived!in!the!next!village,!just!a!
couple!of!miles!from!the!Black!Dog!Inn.!I!never!met!her,!but!I!believe!she!was!a!lovely!little!girl.!Long! blonde!hair!–!pretty!too.’!Old!Tom!stared!at!the!ground.!It!was!as!if!he!was!looking!at!a!picture!book,! reading!a!story.!!He!told!me!all!about!a!girl!called!Molly!and!how!she!lived!with!her!mum!and!dad!on! a!nearby!farm.!She!loved!to!help!her!dad,!tending!the!sheep!and!the!hens!and!chickens.!She!always! said!she!wanted!to!be!a!farmer!like!her!dad,!when!she!grew!up.!But!her!mum!told!her!that!was!silly.! She!said!that!girls!didn’t!become!farmers.!That!was!only!for!boys.!Molly!didn’t!like!that.!! !
Molly!didn’t!have!any!brothers!or!sisters.!Someone!had!told!Old!Tom!that!her!mum!couldn’t!
have!any!more!children,!some!sort!of!medical!problem.!And!her!dad!had!confided!in!some!of!the! other!local!farmers!that!he!was!really!sad!about!not!having!a!son!to!inherit!the!farm!when!he!died.! He!didn’t!exactly!encourage!Molly!to!become!a!farmer.!But!when!she!talked!about!it,!he!never! discouraged!the!idea!either.!Old!Tom!thought!that!maybe!he!was!secretly!dreaming!that!she!would! take!over!the!farm!one!day.! !
Then!there!was!the!clock.!It!had!been!a!present!to!Molly’s!dad!for!a!special!birthday,!from!
his!sister!Cath.!Molly!was!about!six!at!the!time!and!fell!in!love!with!it!as!soon!as!she!saw!it.!The!silver! clock!was!oblong!in!shape,!with!an!ornate!triangular!section!above!the!clockLface,!which!displayed!
Roman!numerals.!And!it!had!fancy!floral!designs!all!over!it,!especially!at!the!base!and!at!the!top!of! the!triangle.!It!didn’t!make!a!loud!ticking!noise,!but!you!could!definitely!hear!it!in!a!quiet!room.!The! clock!always!stood!proudly!in!the!centre!of!the!mantelpiece,!above!the!coal!fire!in!the!front!parlour.!! !
Molly!used!to!call!it!‘my!silver!clock’!and!no!one!ever!dared!contradict!her.!She!wound!it!up!
with!the!special!key!every!single!day!and!gave!it!a!really!good!polish!every!week.!She!kept!the!key!in! what!she!called!her!‘hideyLhole’.!Everyone!knew!it!was!in!a!hidden!drawer!in!the!oak!sideboard,!near! the!fireplace.!But!they!pretended!that!it!was!Molly’s!secret.!Whenever!visitors!came!to!the!farm,!she! would!take!them!into!the!parlour!and!ask!them!if!they!liked!her!clock.!Auntie!Cath!thought!this!was!a! great!joke,!and!told!all!her!friends!about!her!dear!little!niece!and!the!clock!she’d!bought!for!her! brother.! !
Old!Tom!said!it!was!a!cold!winter’s!afternoon!when!Molly!went!up!on!the!moors,!above!the!
woods.!Her!dad!was!in!the!village!at!the!time,!getting!some!fuel.!He’d!gone!in!the!Cortina!Estate!with! Jed,!the!sheepdog.!Molly!was!off!school!for!Christmas!holidays!and!had!gone!out!to!gather!hens’! eggs!from!the!barn.!No!one!knows!exactly!what!happened!next,!but!it!seems!as!if!she!had!been! carrying!the!eggs!into!the!cottage.!She!must!have!looked!across!to!the!sheep!in!the!field!behind!the! barn,!and!noticed!that!a!fence!was!broken.!So!she!put!the!egg!basket!on!the!ground!and!pushed!a! couple!of!old!drums!in!front!of!the!fence.!She!didn’t!miss!much,!young!Molly;!she!probably!saw!that! a!few!of!the!sheep!were!missing!and!wandered!through!the!fields!looking!for!them.!! !
!Tom!told!me!that!most!people!thought!she!must!have!gradually!wandered!farther!away!
from!the!farm!as!she!looked!for!the!sheep,!and!that!she!kept!going!until!she!ended!up!on!the!moors.! It!was!then!that!a!nasty!fog!came!down,!what!Old!Tom!called!a!real!‘pea!souper’.!When!her!dad!got! back!from!the!village!with!Jed,!he!spotted!the!egg!basket!on!the!ground!near!the!cottage.!He! couldn’t!understand!why!she’d!left!the!eggs!there!and!started!shouting!her!name.!Molly’s!mum!had! been!busy!baking!in!the!kitchen,!thinking!Molly!was!with!the!hens.!Hearing!the!commotion,!she! came!out!to!see!what!was!going!on.!They!both!got!seriously!worried!then!and!looked!all!over!the!
farm,!but!Molly!was!nowhere!to!be!found.!Eventually,!they!had!to!call!the!police.!The!locals!rallied! round!too,!a!big!group!of!them.!They!went!up!into!the!woods!and!onto!the!moors.!They’d!wrapped! up!well,!because!it!was!freezing!cold.!And!they!searched!all!night,!calling!out!her!name.!But!no!one! could!find!Molly.! !
It!was!only!when!the!fog!cleared,!and!the!morning!light!broke!through,!that!they!had!any!
real!chance!of!finding!her.!No!one!said!anything,!but!they!were!all!thinking!that!it!had!been!a!bitterly! cold!night!and!Molly!was!only!wearing!a!thin!jacket!and!jeans.!It!was!Jed!who!found!the!body!in!a! ditch.!She!must!have!fallen!down!exhausted,!after!going!round!in!circles!in!her!vain!search.!There! was!nothing!anyone!could!do!to!save!her.!The!body!was!literally!frozen!to!death.!Her!mum!and!dad! were!heartbroken,!especially!her!dad.!He!blamed!himself!for!taking!the!sheepdog!with!him.!He! thought!that!if!Jed!had!been!with!Molly,!this!would!never!have!happened.!! !
Tom!could!certainly!tell!a!tale.!I!had!tears!in!my!eyes!as!I!listened!to!his!sad!story!about!
Molly.!‘So!what!happened!to!the!silver!clock?’!I!asked.! !
‘Well,!that!was!very!strange,’!said!Old!Tom.!‘When!they!got!back!to!the!cottage!a!kind!police!
lady!started!making!everyone!a!cup!of!tea.!As!you!can!imagine,!they!were!all!quiet!and!subdued.!But! Molly’s!dad!had!gone!straight!to!the!clock.!He’d!noticed!that!not!a!sound!was!coming!from!it.!He! stared!at!it!for!a!good!few!minutes,!but!he!saw!no!movement!either.!It!had!stopped!at!exactly! seventeen!minutes!past!five.!He!fetched!the!key!and!wound!it!up.!He!fiddled!around!with!it!for!a! while,!but!he!couldn’t!get!it!going!again.!! !
‘Days!later,!a!policeman!came!to!see!him.!The!doctor!who!examined!Molly’s!body!said!that!
she!must!have!died!somewhere!around!quarter!past!five!in!the!morning.’!When!Old!Tom!told!me! that,!I!felt!a!shiver!go!right!through!my!spine;!it!was!the!strangest!feeling.!But!there!was!more.!He! said!that,!after!the!funeral,!Molly’s!dad!took!the!clock!to!a!clock!repairer!he’d!heard!about!in! Ramsbottom.!A!week!later!he!went!back!to!collect!the!clock,!wondering!how!much!it!would!cost.!But!
the!man!said!that!there!wouldn’t!be!any!charge.!He!said!that!the!next!day,!when!he!went!over!to! start!repairing!it,!he!noticed!it!was!working!already.!So!he!took!the!back!off!it!to!clean!it!up,!then!set! the!time!and!that!was!that.! !
Molly’s!dad!was!puzzled!by!this!and!thanked!the!man.!He!took!the!silver!clock!back!home!
and,!once!again,!put!it!in!the!same!place!at!the!centre!of!the!mantelpiece.!He!listened!intently!and,! sure!enough,!it!was!still!working.!The!next!morning,!he!got!up!at!half!past!five!as!he!usually!did!to! start!his!farm!work.!After!making!himself!a!cup!of!tea!he!wandered!over!to!the!clock.! !
‘Len,!you!wouldn’t!believe!it,’!said!Old!Tom.!‘The!clock!had!stopped!again.!At!exactly!
seventeen!minutes!past!five.!He!tried!and!tried!to!get!it!going,!but!he!couldn’t.!That!was!when!he! decided!to!sell!it.!So,!he!put!the!silver!clock!in!the!local!auction.!And!as!soon!as!I!saw!it!I!thought!it! was!a!beauty.!I!was!determined!to!buy!it,!whatever!the!price.!But,!surprisingly,!I!didn’t!have!too! much!trouble!getting!it,!because!Molly’s!dad!was!an!honest!kind!of!man.!He’d!asked!the!auctioneer! to!mention!that!it!was!temperamental!and!didn’t!always!work!properly.!So!there!wasn’t!a!lot!of! interest!in!it.!But,!you!know:!I’ve!had!that!clock!for!about!ten!years!now!and!it’s!always!kept!perfect! time.’! !
My!head!was!spinning!by!the!time!Old!Tom!had!finished.!I!suddenly!realised!I!must!have!
been!with!him!for!ages.!I!had!no!idea!what!time!it!was,!but!I!knew!I’d!better!get!off!home!before!I! got!into!trouble!with!my!mum.!When!I’d!left!the!house!I!said!I!wouldn’t!be!too!long,!because!I!was! only!looking!for!conkers.!So!I!told!Old!Tom!that!I’d!better!collect!some!from!those!massive!horse! chestnut!trees!and!then!go.!He!said!he!thought!that!was!a!good!idea.!He!smoked!his!pipe!while!he! watched!me!collecting!the!biggest!and!best!conkers.!Then,!I!made!my!way!through!the!long!grass! towards!the!opening.!As!I!stepped!into!the!woods,!I!turned!around!to!look!at!Old!Tom.!He!waved!at! me!and!I!waved!back,!secretly!hoping!I’d!see!him!there!again!sometime.&