Chapter 2 Tobias Merrin

Chapter Two: Tobias Merrin

Elena stood in the stillness of the shop, unsure whether to leave or step further in. The tick-tock rhythm from the clocks was oddly calming, like a heartbeat slowed by age. The old man, Tobias Merrin, moved with careful precision, polishing a delicate gear with a cloth as thin as lace. He hadn't looked up when she entered, but somehow, he'd known she was there.

"Elena, isn't it?" he asked softly, finally turning to face her.

She blinked, startled. "How do you-?"

"I told you," he said with a faint smile, "you're a bit early. But time makes its own rules."

Up close, his face was a map of years - lines like fault lines across his skin, silver hair swept back like frost on glass. His eyes were the clearest blue she had ever seen, and something in them made her feel like he was seeing more than just her face.

"You fix clocks?" she asked, needing to say something.

"I listen to them," he replied. "And sometimes... I help them remember."

He gestured to the walls. "These aren't just clocks, Elena. They hold stories. Moments. People forget that time isn't just something we pass through. Sometimes, it passes through us."

She wasn't sure what that meant, but somehow, she understood.