The cherished watch

    The old woman lived alone. It was a long time since she went out into the courtyard, and today she hardly expected to go there, as she prepared to die that very evening. She approached the small chest of drawers so that she could look for the last time at the cherished gift – a child’s gold watch. She could hardly turn the key in the keyhole and slowly, with some difficulty pulled open the small drawer, which contained а candy box. The box contained a jewel box and in it was a child's watch with its toy time, which was not in harmony with adult time.Let us say, 24 hours of toy time stretched on for ninety-six hours. One hour passed as if it were fifteen minutes, and fifteen minutes as 3.75 adult minutes. This was no ordinary watch. On its face - one could see a wonder. The old women had bring up the watch and started to wait. In fifteen minutes precisely the toy music sounded. The old woman looked at the face of the watch and saw on it the image of a little girl who, lived next door, wearing a cherry colored dress. She was playing on the sand. She knew this little girl quite well. She even knew her name. She would often watch her out of her window.
    The old woman suddenly wanted to give this watch to the little girl, but first she wished to spruce herself up, to look both smart and elegant. She put on a dark blue dress with a little white collar, cherry-colored shoes, rings, ear-rings  and also -a little hat with a veil. This called for some effort. She looked into the mirror and was - on the whole content - with her image.
With great effort, snatching at the railing she went down the staircase into the courtyard. (She was afraid to enter the lift). In the courtyard - she saw the little girl in her cherry colored dress, playing on the sand.
    The little girl was building a house for her doll. The old Lady called the little girl by name and handed her the watch… After a while – the watch sounded its toy fifteen minutes. The little girl jumped and laughed for joy. She glanced at the face of the watch and there she saw a longhaired cat, sitting on the railing of the neighboring entrance gate. The little girl thanked the old Lady for the gift and ran off.
At this point, the old Lady remembered that the water tap in the kitchen was broken. She really had to call the plumber to repair it. She was pleased that she managed to fulfill two tasks at one time and moved towards the work hut of the plumber. She knocked on the door, which carried a sign saying: «Plumber». From inside a voice called: «Come in». She saw among clouds of smoke a table with a bottle of vodka on it, and a herring, which lay on its wrapping paper. Around the table sat three persons wearing soiled caps and aprons. One of them wore a black patch over his left eye. With his right eye - he stared hard at the old woman. «Who is the plumber here?» - asked the old Lady. All three replied together that they were plumbers. The old woman explained that the water tap in her kitchen rattled like a machine gun. The plumber who wore a patch on his left eye volunteered to do the repair job and promised to come that evening, as at that moment they were on their lunch hour. Although this muddled the old Lady’s plans, she was moved by a hopeful thought that she would not die in solitude.
   The old Lady sat in her chair and waited for the plumber, although he did frighten her by his appearance. Twilight approached. The red sun lightly touched the horizon. She heard the piercing sound of the doorbell. The old Lady rose, leaving her cane off, walked through the hallway and opened the door. The plumber was there. In his fist he held a wooden chest with his instruments. The old Lady led him into the kitchen and sat herself down again in her chair. She remembered the little girl in her cherry colored dress; her eyes filled with tears.
   In the meantime, the plumber having taken out his instruments was busying himself with the water tap. «It’s all ready!» - the plumber suddenly shouted. The old Lady raised herself from her chair to go and look at the plumber's work, when suddenly the tap began to rattle most frighteningly… It had never rattled so loudly before. The awareness of this circumstance swiftly burned trough the old woman's brain. She fell on her face out of fright and died instantly. The embarrassed plumber ran into the living room, and saw on the floor, the old woman lying, in her diamonds. He put his ear to the chest of the dead woman, and having convinced himself that she was dead - threw himself at the small chest of drawers and began to pull out the tiny drawers, looking for valuables.
   All he found there were pins and combs. He then lunged towards the old Lady, snatching her rings off her fingers, and the cross from her neck. All this he pushed into his pocket, took his instrument chest and walked out.
The sky over the horizon still shone red. Out of the tap the water rushed furiously.

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