The Case of the Missing Jewel
Once upon a time, there was a clockmaker named Bob who was a master at his craft. He enjoyed everything he did in his shop even though he had many challenges. He was the inheritor of the business and he worked countless hours, starting early in the morning and late into the night.
Today various collectors sold him many boxes of clocks. Some were in various conditions and they needed repair and work before he could put them on display. His clocks were of different styles and many were quite expensive. They came into his possession after much negotiation. Bob repaired all the clocks, made them well and he put them out for everyone to see.
The public loved them and enjoyed their colors and designs. Their sounds of the tick-tock ticking and the gears turning delighted everyone for they made magical music. As the people watched them pass their time by, they enjoyed the experience. Bob smiled with glee and all of his hard work seemed to pay off.
Yet there was one clock he could not fix. He had much trouble with it as it was a unique cuckoo clock. In the past, it made incredible sounds and the people loved it so much they spent countless hours watching the time pass by. But now many critics said, “This clock is too old and doesn’t work today. Its time has passed. There is no future for it.” Frustrated, Bob hired an assistant who promised him he would find the solution to make this crazy cuckoo clock finally work.
The assistant worked hard and got lots of help from a variety of people. This help seemed to make matters worse and confused everyone. No one seemed to have any answers. Bob regretted purchasing the clock and wondered if he should shelve it away. His frustration reached its height. So, after many hours and days of work with the assistant and no solution, the assistant went away. No one had hope to repair this clock.
Bob said to himself, “Time is money and money is time. All of these other clocks have produced a profit but not this cuckoo clock. What can I do?”
Bob pulled himself together and made hot tea. He sat down on the end of the couch and looked through an old magazine that featured photos of this clock. He pondered and pondered and soon he fell asleep. He began to dream.
In his thoughts, colors came and he saw new vistas and mountains. He heard birds chirping and songs were singing from some mysterious directions. He walked along a path. As he hiked through the mountains, he came up high and looked out over the valley. As he peered, he heard a new sound, a cuckoo sound. “Strange,” thought Bob. “Why do I hear this peculiar bird sound? This cuckoo sound doesn’t belong in this land.”
Bob turned around and saw the source of the sound. The bird was alive and yet was made of wood. It sat on a tree branch and continued to make its crazy sound. Next, the bird hopped over to the side and came to a nest. Inside was a single egg that glowed a slight blue and it had speckles on it.
Bob said, “This is incredible! A single live egg from this cuckoo bird? Where has this been all this time? I must see it and take care of it. Perhaps this new birth will enable me to fix the clock!”
And just as Bob walked over to peer at the egg and he reached to touch it, he suddenly awoke!
Bob was still on his couch and the light was still on. His teacup was empty and he looked around. “How can I find this egg?” He thought.
An impression came to him. “I know. Where is that old box that the clock came in? Perhaps the old address on the label will give me a clue.”
In a rush, Bob got up and went to his storage shed and found the box. On the label, it said, “From: Sight, Sound and Pictures, Inc. To: The Lovers and Dreamers.”
It alarmed Bob. “That is not the usual address for a shipping label. Oh well, there must be something more here.” So, Bob opened the box and found old dust and it made him sneeze. He felt reluctant for the smell of the old clock was present and he thought maybe he’s just fooling himself. “It’s only a dream. But that egg. Hmm.”
Bob peered further and lifted some of the inner cardboard flaps and he saw something. Inside was a gear with a blue jewel inset into it. It was the same soothing color as the egg in his dream. “What in the world is this?!” he exclaimed. “This box has a missing jewel in it!”
He carefully picked it up and looked it over with his eyeglasses. In a rush, he took the gear with its jewel and went to the old broken clock. He turned it over and opened it up. Inside he could see that there was much work done but at the heart of the gears was an opening. Bob took the gear with the jewel in it and placed it inside the space. It was a perfect fit!
Bob exclaimed, “Can it be!? Can it finally work?”
The blue jewel in the gear came alive and shone a bright light. The gears started working and turned and turned. The clock made wonderful sounds and even the cuckoo bird chimed. The life returning to the device amazed Bob.
Bob madly worked all night making slight adjustments. He oiled the gears, making sure all the parts were in order. He felt like a child on Christmas morning, he couldn’t contain himself. He knew he could put it on display.
Bob bought ads in many newspapers and word spread throughout the city that Bob’s crazy cuckoo clock was working. They all wanted to see it. Even the naysayers and critics were itching to find out and they hoped against hope that something good would happen.
The crowd gathered around Bob’s clock shop and waited. Inside, Bob held onto his glee and opened the door. He produced the crazy cuckoo clock for all to see and hear its sound.
The crowd cheered and celebrated. The clock amazed them. They exclaimed, ‘It sounds like what we remember it used to be, but now it’s even better. There is something new about it. Its sound is meant for today.”
The event satisfied Bob and he was eager to show off the clock. The people fell back in love with the timepiece and grew to love it more and more. In fact, the clock became so popular for a season that it was the top clock on display. Bob couldn’t be happier.
Later on, Bob found his old assistant and came to him. They both agreed that at the time each of them did what they could and made amends. They were no longer bitter or sad. They solved the problem.
Bob said to himself, “The dream of the egg saved everything. I am totally amazed for I had given up hope.”
Bob sat down once more on the couch with his hot tea in hand. He filled himself up and fell asleep yet again. This time his dreams increased and he saw more lands and more special places and found himself on even greater adventures.
Inceptio