By Sharmila Ghimire
“Ting-tang,” rang the hourly knell of the wall clock.
Munal turned the sound of the clock off, hurriedly.
“It’s just seven o’clock; I will sleep for a while,” he said, wrapping himself with the quilt.
“Brother, get up and wash your face. Otherwise, you will be late for school,” said his sister in a caring voice from the kitchen.
“This sister would not allow me to sleep nicely. At first, the clock broke my sleep. Later, babbling of Sister! I won’t allow this clock here anymore,” Munal uttered with irritation.
Tick, tock rang the clock, again.
Munal got up hastily.
“Babu, you haven’t you got up yet?” said the sister, peeping through the door.
“When shall Sister go to mamaghar? Probably, sister will take the clock with her as she goes. Only then, I get to sleep soundly,” Munal muttered, as he was getting out from the cot, wishing his sister to go to their maternal uncle’s home at the earliest.
‘How rude my sister is! Why should she like the clock that rings every hour? Why did she buy such a clock?’ Munal thought, exhausted. He got tired with Sister at home. He madly wished when she would go to their maternal uncle’s home. He could not control his feelings, and asked turning towards her, “Sister, when shall you go to mamaghar? Please take this clock also with you as you go.”
Sister went to mamaghar after three days. She took the clock with her as she went. Munal was as peace now.
He softly uttered with a gentle smile, “Now, I’ll sleep soundly.”
Munal came back from school. He directly went into his room. The place, where the clock had been kept, was empty. He was pleased at his heart.
“At any rate, I will slumber soundly today. Sister’s clock had bothered me too much,” he said, covering his face with the quilt.
The night waned, slowly. Munal was in deep slumber. He slept till late in the morning, for, there was no clock to disturb him. When he woke up, he was too late for school.
He remembered his teacher Gopi. He was really a strict teacher. He would scold severely if students reached school late.
‘Oops! What should I tell to my teacher?’ he thought, as worry spilled over his face.
‘Ouch! There is also a ‘Sport Competition’ in the school today. I had also registered my name for it. What my friends might say to me!’ He became restless with anxiety. He said to himself, ‘I had never faced such a problem before as my lovely sister and her clock were there. Due to the clock and my sister, I could do everything on time.’
He sat absent-mindedly for a long time. Then, he entered the room, shedding a torrent of tears.
He thought with a sour sense of regret ‘Now, I too will go to mamaghar tomorrow. My school leaving examination is approaching. Sister might not return soon. I will take her clock back, though.”
He went to mamaghar. Sister gave him the clock. He gave a lovely kiss to the clock and came home with it.
‘From now on, I will care for time very much. Time is a great thing,’ he thought all along the way homeward.
Keeping sister’s clock on the table he said, “What an amazing thing my sister’s clock is! It is clicking ‘ting-tang’ every hour, reminding me to prepare for my task!’