The Time Keeper's Debt

Tojo was still not sure what had happened. Had his brain given up after days of house arrest? His bewildered eyes were wide open absorbing the peculiar environment that surrounded him. This reminded him of something, but he could not remember what. He was certain he was in a dream but it was not his dream. Tojo Surami was a well-balanced chef. His uniqueness was his ability to keep his head calm and bring in the perfect blend. His passion for sweets had been cut short by a recent diagnosis of diabetes but his dishes retained their usual flavour. His dessert bar was running in full capacity and life could not be any better. But Tojo knew, silent joy wreaks havoc in its wake. And this particular situation was not only devastating but also baffling. Here he was now in the middle of now-where with nothing but huge clocks surrounding him. There was a big, no no, extremely huge Big Ben, n number of grandfather clocks, watches, time pieces both analog and digital and more and more clocks. In midst of so many clocks Tojo realized he had lost track of time. He tried to move but something bound him to the ground or to be specific the 12^th hour mark on the clock. Tojo did not remember dreaming and he knew one never contemplated dreaming while actually dreaming. But what could explain this. He tried to remember what he was doing before he was tied to a gigantic clock. Well he was experimenting with the mousse and he had gone back to the freezer to pick up the betel leaves when an old pocket watch caught his attention; as he completed winding it he was tied to this enormous clock’s 12^th tick. Now it was almost time for the minute hand to reach 12, he was actually relieved the clock did not have any second hand. In minutes, either he would wake up or never wake up again. What he had not imagined in his wildest dreams that in minutes the clock’s cuckoo would fly him away. It was a different sky and he did not dare to open his eyes as the cuckoo flew him. He heard a sweet voice, “Why didn’t you call for me?” He was sure he had gone mad and the voices were not real but he answered anyway, “ I don’t know you.” He wondered why the cuckoo seemed so familiar. “ Yes you do, silly. I used to fly you away when you were a naughty little boy. Then one fine day you did not come. And now you are here again, so grown up. It must have been a long time ago.” “ There are so many time pieces you must know the time,” replied Tojo. The cuckoo laughed, “ We are not the time keeper. I told you this the first time you came. We are the guardians of time, we look after those who can’t keep track of time just like us.” Tojo was getting more confused by the minute and decided to shed his inhibitions and in a long time be in the moment, “ I have been so rude. What is your name? I am..” The cuckoo replied, “ I know, Tojo. I am Sarathi. Your mother was so kind to me that I promised her I’ll take care of you. You are so uptight, she was afraid you would suffocate to death. I did not bring the usual chocolate because of the diabetes.” Tojo gaped at so much information and took a minute to come to his sense, “Have I been here before?” “ Yes darling,” called out the jubilant bird.

They landed on a deserted helipad surrounded by hills and seas. “ What do you prefer child?”, asked Sarathi. Tojo hesitated to reply, “ The hills.”

Sarathi let a smile escape, “ You have not changed. I like that. Now you have to scale that height,” she pointed to the formidable snow-clad hilltop. When you are ready, the time keeper will meet you. Do not search for the time keeper, he/she shall come in time.” Tojo was losing all sense of time and place, “ I don’t understand. I have a very important delivery today. I do not know how long it has been. Please put it in plain words, I’m completely lost. Sarathi patted on his shoulder with her magnificent wings, “ There, there, boy. You are not new to the world of novelty. You have excelled in it. There is a debt, your mother’s debt to the time keeper. The hills shall reveal to you the story untold. Now embark upon this journey and enjoy while it lasts. Sarathi called upon a flurry on which Tojo got up. In some unintelligible language she gave the flurry some instructions in a strict tone. As it began to move, the flurry cried out, “ Hold tight Tojo.” Tojo’s hand had gone numb in cold and his head was spinning. He was used to having everything in control and this sudden event had completely thrown him off track. They landed in a minute or so, on a snow-clad slope. The incessant snowfall could not be tolerated anymore and Tojo went unconscious as the flurry dropped him. When he opened his eyes he was someplace inside, wrapped in a warm rug. Tiny goblin like creatures were making something in a huge cauldron. Tojo remembered this smell, it was of his favourite soup; the one that his mother used to feed him when he was a child. “ How silly you are,” chided the man goblin, “ conjure up some woolens when in a cold mountain.” Tojo was about to ask how but he refrained himself from doing so. There were four goblins but they were not green, rather none of them were of same colour. The smallest of the lot kissed Tojo and he felt much better. The former one frowned on him and continued, “ You have to search for your debt. It seems you owe the Time Keeper.” Tojo was about to speak when the woman goblin tending to the cauldron shoved a spoonful of soup with absolute confidence, “ You can talk after you have dined.” In spite of his disapproval she kept on feeding Tojo as if it was her right to do so. After the five of them had completed their food, Tojo cleared his throat, “ Where am I?” The small goblin chuckled, “ You don’t remember.” He took a deep breath and continued, “ This is the Time Keeper's prison. We are all guilty of breaking the 'time' in some way or the other. None of us have any form and so have taken the shape that you would want us to. We do not exist in your world, so we do not look anything like this. All this is for your convenience. In our original form no human can perceive us.” The one who made the soup gave him a comfortable smile, “ It seems you are lost and so you have found your way here again.” The man goblin signalled her to stop, “ What do you remember?” Tojo told them everything. Then he said, “ But it was all going so well, except the diabetes. I’m too young to contract such a disease and I loved sweets but I came to terms with it.” The oldest goblin left her armchair to confront him, “ Tojo, that meant that your time has come. Now you must pay up.” Tojo was puzzled, “ What is this debt, everyone has been talking about it. I have never seen my father. My mother left me when I was seven and all I had was an affectionate guide whose dessert bar I am running now after his sudden demise. Nobody has stayed with except maybe death. What debt do I owe anyone? Everyone should owe me some debt.” The grandmother goblin stroked his arms, “ Somewhere someone bought some time and you have returned to this world to pay the price for it. We can say no more boy, you have to search the answers. But remember time can only be paid by time. So keep track of it or you will be caged in this timeless world.” The woman goblin warned Tojo, “There will be temptations but remember Time is not to be traded.” The youngest told Tojo that he could conceive anything and that would take shape in front of him but it better be non- living. Tojo imagined skis and rubber boots as he continued on his venture bidding farewell to the family of goblins. Tojo came by a brook. Somehow he remembered it, he had been there before. In a flash he could recall the moonlight nights, his mother’s lullaby , his first chocolate chip ice-cream and the mountains. The lofty structure boasted of the picturesque scenery bathed in crimson rays. Slowly the brook whispered in his ears the memories that had been relegated in the background, his time with his mother. It was here that he had all his memories with her. Out of thin air a translucent spirit appeared, “ Has it all come back?” Tojo could not hold back his tears anymore. He now understood. His mother had bought time with him, preserved it, in an hourglass away from the wear and tear of time. The spirit condoled him, “ It is not your debt boy but you have to pay. You see, only time can replace time.” Tojo looked straight, “ But I have already paid. I have paid with my time.” Befuddled by his words, the time-keeper expressed his annoyance; Tojo continued, “ Well you see.. Not only was my time in here against my will but also I have no concrete memory of it. So your debt is paid with interest. I have glimpses now and then, not even dreams and thus I have no recollection of the time that needs to be repaid. It is all in the mind.” The time-keeper smiled to himself, “ Well done my boy. You are welcome to join us if you want to. Otherwise you may choose to return to that time bound world.” Tojo knew what he wanted more clearly than ever. In his return journey he asked Sarathi about his mother, “ How is she coping here?” Sarathi beamed at his enquiry, “ She went from our world. She was the time keeper. But she wanted you to have time. You must have met her here.” A second bout of tears gushed down his cheeks, “ How could he not understand, the mother goblin was her.” Sarathi placed Tojo on the 12^th hour, “ after I wind it you will be back in your world. Remember to forget or else you would never be able to understand time.” For the rest of his life, Tojo wondered why he could never stand watches or clocks or any other time piece for that matter. But thankfully he could grasp time.