Extract from Chapter 1
THE CREATION
Andrew stared into the microcosmic world that he had created. Tiny
shafts of golden sunlight splintered from the minute precision
engineering. Cogs and spindles whirled in their own miniscule spaces;
rubies and diamonds sparkled, embedded in lightly oiled Invar and other
rare metal alloys. Only now as a complete entity, with every part in
place, each playing its pre-determined role could it function.
Tick…counting tiny slivers of existence, tick… in perfect synchronised
harmony… tick. It had come to life at last!
It had always seemed strange to him, that at the moment before the last
piece of a timepiece was put in place, he held in his hands a collection
of valuable but totally useless metal and jewels. But a heartbeat later
- there it was, a miniature engine working as though it were alive and
would last forever.
In his imagination it seemed as though this timepiece symbolised the
science of chronology itself, the arrangement of events in time. But
this was no ordinary timepiece. This was something very special. Andrew
King had been making this watch on and off for almost a year, ever since
the dreams started. At least they seemed like dreams. Now he was not
sure where the line between dreaming and waking was drawn.
Soon after he had started, he began to wake at night with new ideas and
had gone to his workshop to incorporate them in the construction of the
timepiece that he wanted to be his finest creation. As time went by he
would often find himself rising from his bed at two or three in the
morning when the cold mist was settled over the surrounding countryside
and he pulled the shutters closed to keep the blackness out. During
those lost hours he would work like a man driven by unknown forces,
using skills he had mastered over many years.
Now he held the timepiece in the palm of his hand and gently pressed the
casement into place. It closed with the softest hint of a snap, the tiny
satisfying snick of a perfect fit, leaving no trace of a seam. It was as
if this final act consummated a lifetime’s work and closed a chapter.
He stared at it as though waking from a dream, seeing it for the first
time, and shook his head in wonder. He had never seen a design of this
kind before with its amazing pattern of symbols and engravings. And now
it was done, the spell was broken.
Suddenly he felt exhausted. He had worked late into the night and his
mind and body needed rest. He slipped the exquisite object into the blue
velvet case and after locking it in the workshop safe climbed the stairs
and collapsed on his bed, falling immediately into the deepest and most
restful sleep he had had for a long time.