The Time of the Clockmaker (25 page)
Read The Time of the Clockmaker Online
Authors: Anna Caltabiano
THEY SAY A
dead man walked that day. That he rose from his deathbed, hand in hand with the one who was blessed by God.
Others say he simply vanished, along with the woman who went into the room but never came out.
It was on everyone's lips. It was a miracle. It was the very image of a resurrectionâGod's work.
They say she was an angel. She came out of nowhere. Sent by God himself to deliver him.
Those who knew him say he was a good man. He never did anything wrong. The most deserving. He was chosen by him.
They say they walked, one foot in front of the other, out of Death's door and into the light. Others say they floated toward the ceiling, disappearing into air. But all agree they were gone as quickly as they were here. Leaving no trace behind.
It was as if they had never lived. But everyone remembered. That was the day they walked hand in hand. Dead man walking.
“My Lord . . .”
Everyone was fervently making the sign of the cross, and reaching to kiss the door.
“It's a miracle!”
“We are witnessing God's work!”
Hearing these cries, a priest came running down the hall, the very priest who had given the dying man his last rites. The people made way for a man of the cloth, and bowed their heads in reverence as he walked past and into the room.
“Father, this is a testament to God's power!”
“It's a miracle!”
He closed the door behind him.
“No,” he said. “It is the Devil's work. Death should be final.”
He picked up a silver pocket watch from the bedside table.
“This cannot stand.”
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ANNA CALTABIANO
was born in British colonial Hong Kong to a Japanese mother and Italian-American father. She is a high school student in Palo Alto, California, as well as a frequent contributor to various publications, including
The Huffington Post
and
The Guardian
. Her first novel,
All That Is Red
, was published when Anna was just fifteen years old. You can find Anna online at
www.annacaltabiano.com
and on Facebook and Twitter (@caltabiano_anna).
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THE TIME OF THE CLOCKMAKER
. Copyright © 2015 by Anna Caltabiano. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ISBN: 978-0-06-240906-5
EPub Edition © October 2015 ISBN 9780062409065
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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