"John Morressy -- Walter and the Wonderful Watch" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morressy John)

Walter and the Wonderful Watch
John Morressy
Fantasy and Science Fiction
December, 2004


John Morressy reports from his New England home that he is hard at work on several
stories of a fantastic sort. His latest tale is a charming fantasy that brims with good
adviceтАФand surely it's just a coincidence that the story carries a sting in its tale that seems
appropriate for an election yearтАж




When Walter decided to go out into the world and seek his fortune, his parents were much
relieved. "It's about time somebody in this family tried to make a living," they said.

Walter was their youngest son. He was a good lad, but the family were pressed for
room. There were twenty-one children about the house, every one of them lazy, silly, and
useless. A floating population of cousins, uncles, and aunts came for surprise visits and
stayed on for months. Strangers showed up, lost themselves in the crowd, and hung about
for weeks. Since Walter's family lived in a two-room hut, things were crowded.

"Do you have any advice for me, Papa?" Walter asked as he packed his few
belongings.

"Yes. Find a nice place of your own, and stay there," his father said.

"And invite your brothers and sisters to stay with you," his mother added.
An uncle who was standing by the doorway said, "I have a piece of advice for you,
young man: Don't ever talk to strangers."
"If I don't talk to strangers, how will I ask directions and find a job?" Walter asked.

"I have another piece of advice: Don't be a wiseguy," the uncle said, and stalked
outside to take a nap.
"If you're going to seek your fortune, there's no sense wasting time gabbing. You'd
better get started right away," Walter's father said, guiding him toward the door.
Walter's cousin George, a feckless, good-natured fellow with a dread of work, looked
up from his comfortable seat by the fire and called out, "You can't send a lad like Walter out
into the world without a penny in his pocket."
"Why not? That's how he came into it," his father said.

"He didn't even have a pocket," his mother added.
Ignoring them, George said, "I have a present for you, Walter. My father gave it to me
when he still believed I might get a job."
 He reached into an inside pocket and took out a large object in the shape of a watch. Its
color was a deep dull black. "Could do with a bit of polishing," he said as he snapped the lid
open. The hands were at nineteen minutes after one. It was now shortly after dawn. Walter
took the watch and gently shook it. Nothing happened.