The Cat and the Clockmaker

In a narrow street of tall, crooked houses, a little shop with a wooden sign reading 'Clocks Fixed Here' belongs to Mr. Bell, an old clockmaker with wispy white hair, round spectacles and a leather apron full of tiny pockets. He repairs springs and wheels all day, surrounded by ticking clocks, yet the shop is very quiet and Mr. Bell often feels lonely with only the clocks for company.

One morning a small ginger-orange cat with a white chest and a red collar pads into the shop, and just like that she has a home. Mr. Bell names her Penny, and she loves watching him work, chasing dust motes in sunbeams and napping on piles of soft cloth. Then a customer brings in a beautiful old clock with a carved wooden case and a golden face. It has stopped working, and when Mr. Bell opens it he discovers a gear is missing. He searches his drawers, his pockets and his workbench, but the gear is nowhere to be found, and he sits down tired and sad. This gentle tale by Çınar BİBER can be read on Masalcı Baba.