Rob sighed as he stood up, hearing his joints creak. He was getting too old for this, he thought, maybe he should look into some other work. An idle thought he knew he would never act on. He couldn’t. He looked out the window and was surprised to see the darkness that had fallen. You would think a clockmaker of all people would be better able to keep track of time 

His thoughts were broken by the ringing bell. Customers this late were quite rare. He raised his eyebrows as he got a closer look at his newest patron. Customers younger than ten were even rarer. “How can I help you, dear? Are you lost?” he asked the young girl in rags standing before him. She had a worried look in her eyes and something clutched tightly in her hands. “Are you Rob the Old Timer?” He couldn’t help chuckling at the nickname, a far more appropriate one than the namers intended. “I think that’s what they call me. How may I be of service?” She placed the item on his desk, having to stand on her tiptoes to do so. “They said you’re good with this kind of stuff. Could you maybe fix Ian?” The plea in her eyes and voice was far too evident. He looked at the mess of nuts and bolts on his desk that could have been humanoid in some distant past. “I’m afraid this little guy has seen some rough days. I’m not sure I can do much to save him.” “I understand,” she said glumly. “It’s just… It’s just I’ve had him forever and — and he was my friend — and, and…” Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. All her nervous energy had instantly dissipated, replaced by the lethargy of sorrow. He was sure he could just about see the tears in the corner of her eyes. “Tell you what,” he found himself saying, knowing it was a bad idea (once again, you would think someone like him would have greater control over themselves), “why don’t you sit there by the fire and warm up a bit. I’ll take a look at Ian and see what I can do.” 

He watched her walk glumly to the fireplace and sit down on the armchair. Luckily it was facing away from him. Well, there was only one thing he could do. Making sure she wasn’t looking, he slowly peeled off his gloves and lightly tapped his chest, feeling the crystal that rested within. Out of habit, he looked out to make sure there were no city guards around. Not that he needed to, his clothes hid the incriminating green glow. Ah well, it never hurt to be careful given that the alternative was… unpleasant to say the least. 

Anyway, no time to think about that now. He pulled some of the power from the crystal and sent it towards the doll. The metallic sheets bent themselves into their original shapes, sometimes seeming to grow out of nowhere. The screws began to straighten themselves out and fly into place under Rob’s silent command. The dust and grime disappeared from every nook and cranny (if he was going to do this, he would do this properly thank you very much). A small tin man with a crude smile painted on began to form in his hands. Once everything was set, Rob let the gears whirl back into life. 

The girl awoke with a start at the noise. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” he said gently. “I wasn’t sleeping.” she replied, rubbing the sleep out of her drooping eyelids. “Are you done?” “I think so,” Rob replied. “Take a look and tell me if there’s something I’ve

missed.” The girl wound up the key at the doll’s back. When she let go the doll began awkwardly walking across the counter while doing a dance. The girl gave a squeal of joy and joined in with the dancing. Rob gave a small smile. It was worth it he supposed. 

She suddenly stopped and dug around in her pockets, bringing out two copper coins. “I’m sorry I don’t have much to pay you with. This is all I have right now.” she said meekly. Rob wrapped her fists around the coins. “You pay me by getting yourself a nice meal. Unfortunately not something I can get you myself. Now go before it gets even darker.” She grinned and ran out. 

Rob smiled and then winced as he stood up once more. His joints felt a decade older. “They pretty much are,” he muttered to himself. As he blew out the candles, he felt the cracks in his crystal widen. Not a trick he would be able to pull off many more times. Retirement was now a few weeks closer.