Erin sat by the fountain that filled the center of the brick pavement in front of Branchton University; this was her favorite spot to read, and watch the clock tower. The clock tower stood in the heart of Branchton, towering above all other buildings, even the library and university. The clock tower– while an accepted, even coveted, monument– was different from the rest of the buildings of the city. While a majority of the buildings in the city were of brick, concrete, or even steel, the clock tower was made of sleek metal, possibly steel, and looked as if it were made in a different era perhaps. But that was not what interested Erin the most in the clock tower. The first time she had first noticed the peculiarity was two years ago as a young freshman at the university. She and the other incoming students had just been officially welcomed to the school and the dean and faculty were departing when Erin had looked up at the edifice; and she saw it. Something about the tower had changed. She couldn't quite explain what had changed, it had sort of "blinked", it had looked different but only for a moment. This had happened several other times since. She stared over her book at the clock tower; if the professors caught her staring into space again they'd mark her for wasting time. Citizens of Branchton were discouraged not to waste time. The book slid from her hands; she had been staring off into space in the direction of the enigmatic tower. She jumped, then bent over to book up Ashfield's Hypothesis on Reason when a pair of hands came down and picked the book off the ground and handed it to her. Erin loked up blinking; she hadn't seen anyone come up to this side of the fountain. It was a man, a man in a worn coat and top hat who must've been in his late thirties or early forties; there was also a small, plastic name tag clipped to the left breast pocket of his coat. He smiled at her as he stood up straighter and adjusted his fingerless gloves.
"You dropped this; though I can't blame you, I never could get my head around Ashfield." he said. His eyes were a deep, piercing blue and the tanned skin around his eyes were wrinkled. He was, all together, quite handsome.
Erin blinked again, then remembered her manners.
"Oh yes, thank you. I was, um, looking at the time." Erin managed to smile back. Then she finally saw what was on the name tag. In straight, printed, white letters, the top third of the tage said "Hello, my name is" on a blue background; below that the rest of the card was white and filled with the scrawled word "the Keeper". The Keeper! Here? Erin blushed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she stammered, "I didn't read– oh I'm such an idiot! My apologies, Keeper." how could she have missed it? The coat, hat, and the name tage.
The Keeper just chuckled and smiled again in his warm, friendly way.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just passing by." he pulled a scratched gold pocket watch out of his right breast pocket and clicked his tongue when he opened it up. "Yes, best I be off now, speaking of time. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss–?"
"Erin, Erin Carr."
"Miss Erin Carr. Good day and good luck with that book!" the Keeper waved to her as he strolled away across the pavement towards the great double doors of the university building.
Erin gazed at the shrinking brown coat back and top hat until they vanished inside the university. She cast one last glance at the clock tower then resumed her reading.
The Watcher swept up a pile of graphs, charts, maps, and other scraps of paper into his long arms and deposited them onto a side table; the Guardian leaned back in her chair, boots on the main table. The Watcher cast her a sidelong glance through his glasses.
"Where is he?" the Guardian yawned.
"He went out to do some errands, you know how he– "
"What time is it?" she suddenly sat up, pushing the chair away from her, red hair flying up around her face.
"Almost one o'clock." the Watcher grumbled from the blackboard at the front of the long, main table.
"One o'clock? He needs to be here! One o'clock is a tricky hour."
The Watcher looked at the Guardian over his thin framed glasses. "He'll be here, don't worry." he turned around, scooping back up some of the charts and papers and began to climb up the black iron staircase to the upper floors of the clock tower.
"Besides," he called back down, "he'll end up here, one Keeper or another."
"You dropped this; though I can't blame you, I never could get my head around Ashfield." he said. His eyes were a deep, piercing blue and the tanned skin around his eyes were wrinkled. He was, all together, quite handsome.
Erin blinked again, then remembered her manners.
"Oh yes, thank you. I was, um, looking at the time." Erin managed to smile back. Then she finally saw what was on the name tag. In straight, printed, white letters, the top third of the tage said "Hello, my name is" on a blue background; below that the rest of the card was white and filled with the scrawled word "the Keeper". The Keeper! Here? Erin blushed.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she stammered, "I didn't read– oh I'm such an idiot! My apologies, Keeper." how could she have missed it? The coat, hat, and the name tage.
The Keeper just chuckled and smiled again in his warm, friendly way.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just passing by." he pulled a scratched gold pocket watch out of his right breast pocket and clicked his tongue when he opened it up. "Yes, best I be off now, speaking of time. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss–?"
"Erin, Erin Carr."
"Miss Erin Carr. Good day and good luck with that book!" the Keeper waved to her as he strolled away across the pavement towards the great double doors of the university building.
Erin gazed at the shrinking brown coat back and top hat until they vanished inside the university. She cast one last glance at the clock tower then resumed her reading.
The Watcher swept up a pile of graphs, charts, maps, and other scraps of paper into his long arms and deposited them onto a side table; the Guardian leaned back in her chair, boots on the main table. The Watcher cast her a sidelong glance through his glasses.
"Where is he?" the Guardian yawned.
"He went out to do some errands, you know how he– "
"What time is it?" she suddenly sat up, pushing the chair away from her, red hair flying up around her face.
"Almost one o'clock." the Watcher grumbled from the blackboard at the front of the long, main table.
"One o'clock? He needs to be here! One o'clock is a tricky hour."
The Watcher looked at the Guardian over his thin framed glasses. "He'll be here, don't worry." he turned around, scooping back up some of the charts and papers and began to climb up the black iron staircase to the upper floors of the clock tower.
"Besides," he called back down, "he'll end up here, one Keeper or another."
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