Felix’s Watch

“Time waits for no one.”

Felix lived his life by the ticking of his watch. As a stockbroker, time was both his greatest asset and his most unforgiving enemy. Every second mattered, and he was determined to make the most of them—at least, in his eyes. His days were consumed by phone calls, meetings, and the constant pressure to succeed. His watch, a family heirloom passed down through generations, was a reminder of that relentless chase. It was more than just a timepiece; it was a symbol of his ambition.

He had always told himself that once he reached the top, he would slow down. Once his financial goals were met, he would have more time for his family, for the things that truly mattered. But somehow, "once" never came. Felix’s wife, Claire, had long stopped asking him to attend family dinners. His daughter, Lily, was too young to understand why he was always too busy, but she would eventually learn.

The day of Lily’s piano recital was no different. Felix had promised her he would be there, had even marked it on his calendar. But when the time came, a lucrative meeting with a potential client pulled him away. His watch ticked relentlessly as he sat in the conference room, unaware of the clock ticking away the moments of his daughter’s childhood. The recital was beautiful, but Felix wasn’t there. Lily, eyes brimming with disappointment, stood on stage without her father in the audience.

Years passed, and the wounds between father and daughter festered. Lily grew up, became a woman with her own life and dreams, but the resentment never left. Felix's wealth grew exponentially, but so did his loneliness. His marriage crumbled under the weight of unspoken regrets, and Claire left, taking with her the pieces of a life he could never get back. By the time Felix passed away, his fortune was vast, but his heart was empty. He died in a sleek, modern apartment, the very picture of success, but alone, clutching his pocket watch—a symbol of everything he had lost.

In the afterlife, Felix’s ghost wandered aimlessly, a shadow drifting through the busy intersections of the city. The sound of his watch, now a hollow ticking, echoed endlessly in the streets. It was as if time itself followed him, reminding him of the moments he had allowed to slip away. He watched as people rushed by, lost in their own hurried lives, chasing dreams he could no longer grasp.

Felix’s presence was a quiet one, lingering just out of sight. But those who felt his haunting gaze began to experience strange urges. A man hurrying through the city might suddenly stop in his tracks, his heart tugged by the memory of a phone call he had been meaning to make to his mother. A woman might turn around and rush back home to apologize to her daughter, realizing how many weekends she had missed. It was as if Felix’s ghost whispered a warning to them all: Time waits for no one.

One day, a stranger wandered into an estate sale, searching for antiques to buy. Among the boxes of forgotten belongings, a small, tarnished pocket watch caught their eye. It was an unusual piece—ornate but worn, its ticking almost hypnotic. The stranger, intrigued, picked it up, not knowing that this simple act would change everything. The moment their fingers brushed against the cold surface of the watch, something shifted. A feeling of urgency washed over them, followed by a sense of calm, as though they had been gifted a second chance.

With the watch in hand, the stranger returned to their family, spending time with loved ones in a way they hadn’t in years. The ticking of the watch was a constant reminder—every second mattered. The stranger began prioritizing what really mattered: dinner with the kids, date nights with their spouse, and phone calls to their aging parents. Life seemed to slow down, and yet it was richer than it had ever been.

Meanwhile, Felix’s spirit observed, the ticking of his watch fading as he watched the stranger embrace the life he had neglected. He saw how his mistake had transformed into a lesson for someone else. And for the first time in his existence, Felix felt at peace. The endless ticking, once a constant reminder of his failures, now faded into nothing. With a final, quiet breath, Felix’s spirit dissipated into the stillness, leaving behind the watch and the lesson it carried.

The stranger, holding the watch, looked down at it with a soft smile, their life now moving at the pace it was always meant to. Time, after all, was a precious thing—something Felix had learned too late. But the stranger, in their own way, had learned the lesson in time. And so, the watch, once a symbol of loss, became a symbol of connection, a legacy that would endure beyond the ticking of any clock.

Created by Erica Latasha