Broken Watch / Broken Heart

Broken Watch / Broken Heart

by

Kayla Jones

(age 16)

Kathryn woke up from peaceful sleep. Smoke! Her house was on fire! She jumped out of bed, and raced toward the bedroom door. She flung it open, and was devoured by smoke. She coughed and wheezed as she crawled to the porch door. The smoke was so thick, and the fire so hot, she didn’t even know she crawled outside. Her young body tumbled down the porch steps.

     Firetrucks roared by Kathryn as she stood a ways from her house, along with a police officer. The fire chief, after bellowing out orders to the brave firemen, walked briskly toward her. Kathryn grabbed his arm, and sobbed, “Please get my parents out! Please! You just have to!”

     “We’re doing all we can, miss.” The grey-headed chief replied. Kathryn nodded her small head at his reply, and wiped the tears away from her ocean blue eyes. The wind was howling, making her sandy brown hair whip into her charred face.  Kathryn grimaced when she saw the flames of the house flourish.

     As the firemen fought to control the blaze, an object smashed through an upstairs window. It landed on the road with a bang. Kathryn was about to retrieve the object, but another firetruck zoomed by, running over the unknown thing. After checking the road was clear, she raced onto the pavement, and scooped up the object. It was a watch-not just any watch, but her mothers. The glass face was shattered, and the metal black by the flames. It still ticked, but the hands were broken. She lifted the watch closer to her, and wept. Behind her, the house collapsed, without her parents finding a way out.

     The officer kindly gave her a ride to her grandparents, who lived fairly close by. On the ride, Kathryn tightly grasped the broken watch and made sure every shattered piece of glass was still there. When they arrived at her grandparents, she ran toward them and embraced them with helpless sobs. 

     Kathryn’s grandparents thanked the officer, and brought her inside their house. The grandparents sat her by the toasty fire, and made her some hot chocolate. After Kathryn downed the warm drink, she crawled into her grandpa’s lap, and fell asleep.

  

     Kathryn dreamed about her father and mother that night. She saw her mother’s warm smile, and her father’s cheerful laugh. She also dreamed about the watch she still held-the watch that’s been in her family for generations. Somehow, it landed on the road. She dreamed her mother threw it to her from Heaven as a parting gift. “The watch ticks to the beat of your great-great grandmother’s heart” her mother said, “and now it beats to mine.”

     

     Days passed, and the time for her parents funeral was at hand. She endured the whole thing without shedding a tear or losing composure. She grasped the broken watch the entire time. 

     After the funeral, the grandparents took her for some ice cream at the local diner. She swirled the ice cream with her spoon until it was sloppy.

     “Honey bunch, what’s wrong?” The grandfather asked. “It’s your mothers watch, isn’t it? You want it to be fixed, don’t you?

     The grandmother gasped in recognition. “That was my mother’s watch, and her grandmother’s too, I believe. Oh heavens, I’m so relieved you have it. We must get it fixed right away!”

The girl looked up from her melted dairy treat. “I want it to stay broken.” The girl said in an even tone. 

Surprised, the grandmother asked “Why ever so?”

    “Because this watch is like me...broken. I’ll never be the same. We may be able to polish the watch, and glue the glass back together, but the hands will remain broken. It can never be truly fixed, not after what happened.”

     The girls grandma looked her in the eyes. “Girly, we can’t always control what happens to us. Sometimes, bad things come our way, and leave us shattered and broken. And you’re right, we can polish ourselves and fix our appearance after a disaster, but we can never heal our shattered hearts on our own. We need Someone stronger and smarter then ourselves to fix us up. His name is Jesus, and He can heal all our pain. Just like a watch maker can fix up this watch, so can He fix us up. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick, but after the healing’s done, the brokenness mended, we will become stronger, and your watch will too.”

     The girl, with tears streaming down her eyes, hugged her grandma. “Thank you, Grandma, I want my watch to be mended, and…and I want to be mended too.” 

So, after another round of ice cream, the trio headed off to send the broken watch to a repairman, and their hearts to the Healer.

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