Pendulums

{Originally published on teeneditingprocess.wordpress.com in July 2013} 

“When a pendulum stops, the individual linked to it does as well. It’s quite simple really. A gong sounds each time five pendulums have ceased swinging. A bell will ring when a pendulum starts again. Those who are passing on will be seen drifting down that central channel in boats, in groups of five."

“Where does the channel lead, Master?”

“To the heart of the clock. Once they pass through the heart, time ceases to exist.”

“A place without time?” I ask.

My master smiles as he says, “It sounds quite wonderful, does it not? When my pendulum eventually stops, I too will join those passing to that place without time. And then you will be the Master, my apprentice.”

“You must be tired of it all Master, having watched these pendulums swinging back and forth for all of your years as the Master of the Clock.”

“I am tired, apprentice, but I believe you are mistaken. The Master of the Clock does not simply sit by and watch the pendulums. The Master serves to guard the Clock.”

“Guard it from what?” I ask.

“The world,” he says with a sigh, “People fear death. They wish to be immortal. They wish to stay with those they love. They wish to keep their worldly possessions. They wish to stay young and handsome. These are all things that make people want to change the Clock. Some have tried to take back their loved ones, others tried to push their own pendulums in a vain attempt to extend their own life. People fear death. They view it as an end, when really, it’s a journey to a beginning. I believe that passing through those doors is the greatest thing in this world.”

“But Master, even I fear death. How can I guard the Clock if I am like those that I am to keep out?”

“ You will feel as I do soon enough, just as the previous Master told me, and the Master before told him, and all before that. If ever you are scared, or tempted by the idea of tampering with death, think of this. Each time the bell rings, a new life has started. This life has the potential to do anything, while among the living. But it will slave under the force of time. Life, no matter how wonderful, is a battle, a struggle, a challenge. Death brings peace. Pity those who come to lengthen their struggle. Pity their lack of understanding,” My master’s words, although depressing, were comforting in a way. They answered my question of purpose.

Then he continues, “If ever you come across a person tampering with a life, give them this choice. They, and they alone, could live forever, but would never be able to leave the Clock. They will spend forever, at the top of the Clock Tower, peering through the face of the Clock. They will watch as the world goes by, and they will remain alone. They will live and watch their loved ones pass on, watch empires crumble, watch everything that they had wanted to live for pass on without them. If, for whatever reason, they chose this terrible fate, you will lead them up these stairs here,” he gestures at the staircase that circles up, up, up, to the top of the tower, where the face of the clock exists, “and you will ask them to take a seat. You will then chain their hands and feet with unbreakable bonds, and you will leave them. You don’t have to worry about hearing them wail as they watch all things pass. The sounds of the bells and gong will cover the noise. Every thousandth bell toll, a chime will sound and you are to offer them a chance to move on. Many will refuse the first few offers, but when they've seen the world they knew pass on many will have learned their lesson. This is how you will learn what a blessing it is to move on. Being the Master of the Clock allows you to lead others to this truth.”

We stood in silence for a moment while I processed what he had said.

“And the other option?” I ask.

“To live the rest of whatever life they have left to live, until the day comes when they finally pass through the doors.”

“But isn’t that too simple? Letting them go, without any punishment?”

“If they were trying to alter their life, or the life of another, sending them back unaccomplished might be punishment enough. You are also forgetting that I said that life is a constant struggle.”

A chime rang, pure and clear, and the Master beckoned me to follow him as he ascended up the stairs, to the top of the tower. We came up into a room, lit up by the light that came through the face of the clock. I was shocked to see the dozens of people, sitting in lines, eyes locked on the face of the clock. From where they sat they could view any part of the world. You could see the sadness, the stubborn greed, and the exhaustion that radiated from each of them. Seeing their world slowly pass away wore down their souls until there was nothing left. This fate my Master had described seemed a thousand times worse than death, and all of these people had still chosen it.

I stand frozen for a moment, shocked by the number of tortured souls in this room. When the shock faded, I notice a woman sobbing. When she sees the Master she calls out to him, begging to pass through the doors. The others in the room remain silent. They sit, bound to their chairs, watching the world go by through the face of the Clock.

My master draws out a large ring of keys and unlocks the chains that kept the woman in the chair. We lead her down the stairs, her hands still bound. Reaching the bottom, we wait by the channel. A boat, carrying only four people, comes drifting down the passageway, and my master stops it before it passed through the doors. He places his hands on the woman’s shoulders and announces, “You are now free to pass on.” He removes the shackles from the woman’s wrists and she steps onto the boat. It begins to move again and as it passes through the mighty doors the gong sounds.

My master and I stand in silence for a moment. Seeing the people upstairs, and the woman just now, troubled me. Death is inevitable. For a moment I consider leaving my apprenticeship. I fret over the idea of seeing those tormented people, and hearing the gong toll in remembrance of the passing of five souls. For a moment, I just want to stop it all, and forget what I had seen, and then a bell rings.

The End.