The Clock That Learned to Listen

Every evening, the village clockmaker wound all the clocks. They ticked together, proud and loud.

But one small clock always stopped. No matter how much it was fixed, it stayed silent.

Angry and tired, the clockmaker threw it outside his shop. The broken clock lay in the rain,

feeling useless. A street musician found it while packing up his flute. He wiped it gently

and placed it beside his sleeping mat. Each night, the musician played softly.

Slowly, the clock began to tick again—not on time, but with feeling.

One day, the village clocks stopped together. People panicked. The musician walked

in, holding the small clock. Its quiet ticking guided the clockmaker’s