The Timekeeper

Part 1

The Timekeeper

VAL DAY-SANCHEZ

Copyright © 2016 Val Day-Sanchez

All rights reserved.

There's a man that lives on our street. He isn't very tall nor is he considered short. He has beard or maybe it's a mustache. He isn't remarkable but he keeps the time. I don't mean like on a watch or even in his head, he literally holds the time for all of us.

I was about four when my father pointed him out to me. I was closer to seven years old when I understood what he had meant. The Timekeeper remembers everything, even The Before. He wasn't arrogant or sanctimonious, he was just a guy. He lived in a small mud house, like the rest of us, except his yard had something that had proven impossible in any other part of the world. His yard had grass. You see, the Timekeeper was able to recall ancient secrets but he had been advised, by The Creator not to let his subjects learn too much of either their past or present. So instead he inspired us by showing us what could be. Our job was merely to figure out how to get there, explore every possible avenue, perhaps discovering something completely unrelated in the process.

The grass had been the most significant, or at least the most visible, for while it meant that growth was possible with our ever polluted soil. It was also breathtaking. Color like that - most of us, perhaps a few of the very old citizens, had witnessed it outside of books. Blue skies, green lawns, flowers of every shade and hue, all this was the subject of children's stories. In real life was limited to varying shades of browns, greys and blacks. Color was for dreams until the Timekeeper's yard sprouted.

The students at the University were all a flutter with recreating their latest challenge but none of them had succeeding in growing a successful crop. There was first the issue with locating viable seeds. They turned and turned the soil but only revealed layer upon layer of ash and soot. They tried to mix in animal carcasses and rotted rations, a tactic they had read about but nothing grew. They increased the amount of water filtration daily to irrigate but still nothing grew. While they learned how to improve efficiency of our settlement, fresh crop was still a distant improbable ambition.

One afternoon I kicked up rocks walking home from my studies. A mist of dust had formed in front of me causing me to nearly knock over the Timekeeper as I collided with him. Realizing my abomination I quickly dropped to the ground in a full bow, afraid to return to my feet.

"Dear boy, please stand up. You have committed no crime, and I fear I am not worthy of such devotion."

I rose to my feet but did still not return his gaze.

"And where are you off to in such a dust-filled scurry?"

"Just home, I'm coming from school." I explained lamely but he seemed to have taken an interest at something I have said and bends down to my level.

"Never use the word just in front of the very important irreplaceable word, home. You see there is still nothing that wraps itself around us, carves a permanent unwavering blinding love like that place we choose to call home." And then after a long pause, as if he too is digesting what he just said he added, "Or perhaps it chooses us." And then he smiled at me at walked away.