The Hourglass

An hourglass, a silent witness to the unfolding drama of the Stevens family, stood in the heart of a grand, old mansion hidden away in a dimly lit study. Its polished wooden frame gleamed faintly in the low light, the transparent glass chambers not fogged by time, and the fine grains of black sand slipping steadily from the top to the bottom. The hourglass, a symbol of the family's heritage, had seen generations pass by. The black sand shifted down into the narrow neck into the bottom glass only to be turned over to start the hourglass's endless journey of keeping time. The hourglass journey began when Andrew Stevens, a British East India Company executive, discovered it sitting on a shelf in an antique shop in East India. The beautifully hand-crafted hourglass had drawn Andrew to touch its rich wooden encasement. As the hourglass felt the warmth of Andrews's hands, it became aware of its surroundings.

Now, as it sat silently watching, smelling the aroma of a good cigar wafting through the air, it could feel a sense of foreboding as it marked the passage of time within the study’s book-covered walls. The current head of the mansion, Marcus Stevens, was a stern and solitary man who spent his days pouring over old ledgers and family records. The hourglass watched him silently, its glass shimmering surface reflecting the turmoil within Marcus as it watched him pace up and down the ornate wooden floor of the library.

Though many overheard conversations, the hourglass knew there had always been whispering that the life Marcus now enjoyed had come at a great price—a price of ruthlessness and betrayal. As whispering became more than whispers, Marcus became consumed with protecting the family's name. He began ransacking the library shelves and his father's antique desk, searching for documents proving the truth behind his family fortune.

Little did Marcus know that inside a secret department inside the ancient library desk, the hourglass had observed Andrew Stevens, Marcus’ father, hiding his journal.

“Did the journal have the secrets to how the Stevens had obtained their wealth?”

The hourglass felt apprehension as Marcus searched through the bookshelves and desk, hunting for evidence of the truth. As Marcus' fingers found a hidden latch under the lip of the desk, the hourglass felt a sense of foreboding. The sense grew as Marcus gradually removed a leather-bound journal that had belonged to his father, Andrew Stevens. The overhead lights in the room seemed to flicker as Marcus' fingers traced the worn leather cover, and he slowly opened the fragile pages. The hourglass sensed the journal contained secrets meant to stay buried, but Marcus was determined to uncover the truth.

As Marcus delved deeper into the journal, the feeling in the study grew increasingly ominous. The hourglass watched as he became increasingly frenzied in its quest for answers, its black sand slipping through its narrow neck relentlessly, marking off the hour, its presence, noticing Marcus' time spent on intense research.

As days passed, the hourglass could see Marcus's health worsen. His eyes became hollow and haunted, and his body became a skeleton. The hourglass knew he was being drawn into a dark hole of obsession, but it could do nothing to stop the constant progression of time. It heard Marcus' voice as he continued to read aloud the long-ago written words of the journal. It heard Marcu’s gasp as he uncovered the greed and cruelty of his father to gain the family's wealth.

In confused silence, the hourglass questioned itself, “How could this be true? The man who had purchased it all those years before had been a gregarious, warm, open man, or had he just been someone who hid their true nature.”

The hourglass noticed Marcus holding his head in anguish as he continued to mouth the tale of an evil curse that now haunted the Stevens family. As the grains of its sand fell towards the swirling vortex of the neck, the hourglass continued to listen, the words of the journal revibrating against the study’s wall.

All the words explaining horrific and unexplained happening within the mansion screamed at Marcus, “There is a curse upon this house!”  

Refusing to reveal his findings to anyone, Marcus frantically searched for clues to lift the curse from his house and family. Being pulled further into his obsession, Marcus searched the mansion, discovering hidden passageways and forgotten rooms. The hourglass observed Marcus with increasing concern, feeling the cold fingers of dread fill the mansion.

One windy, stormy night, while the wind wailed like a ghostly presence, the mansion groaning in protest, Marcus discovered a hidden door behind a bookcase in the study. As he warily lit a candle, his hands trembled with fear. Grabbing the door handle with both hands, Marcus wrenched open the door, exposing a narrow, mysterious staircase descending into a dark, unknown space. Even though the hourglass could not see or hear Marcus once he went through the door, it could somehow hear his thoughts and see the scene before him. The sight of an eerily dark room at the bottom of the stairs sent a tremor of dread through the hourglass, its black sand seeming to fall faster in response.

The hourglass could feel Marcus' heavy breathing and hear his rapid beating heart as he scanned the dark room with the light of his flickering candle.

The hourglass could feel itself willing Marcus to turn back, “Marcus, you need to turn back!” but Marcus's obsessive need for the truth keeps him from hearing or recognizing the pleading voice of the hourglass.

The candle slowly reveals brown wooden shelves lined with books and forgotten family heirlooms, each whispering secrets from the past. In the middle of the room stood a dusty antique craved chest, its secret contents calling Marcus. The ancient chest lid moaned as Marcus raised it to discover keepsakes, a stack of old letters and photographs, each potentially revealing the truth of Marcus’ family history. As it read along with Marcus, the hourglass became concerned over the contents of the letters, for they revealed a pattern of betrayals and power struggles that had shattered the family. The photographs had pieces savagely slashed from them, reflecting the anger and despair of the person who had so viciously removed a person from the picture. The heirlooms held the memories of sorrow and loss. The hourglass observed Marcus's face as he realized the curse was not supernatural but a direct result of his family’s need for power and money at any price. The hourglass couldn’t help but feel hopeful that the family could somehow heal and move forward with the truth finally becoming known.

Upon his recent discovery, Marcus called all his family to the mansion to discuss the journal and chest’s contents. The hourglass sensed Marcus’ anticipation as he waited, wondering if everyone would come or if they would ignore the invitation, suspicious of his motives. The hourglass felt heavy with excitement, its black sand falling with a sense of hopefulness. As the family members arrived at the mansion and entered the study, the hourglass noticed their faces showed curiosity and suspicion. Marcus felt pensive as he stood before them with the journal and the chest's contents on the desk.

Marcus felt as if he had a frog in his throat as he spoke, “I have recently learned, through my father’s journal and items found in a hidden chest, the reason behind the so-called curse upon our family. There is a curse on our family, not created by the supernatural but by our own family’s history of using underhanded, unscrupulous means to achieve power and money. We need to unite as a family and break the cycle of deceit and betrayal.”

The hourglass observed as different family members reacted with shock, some with anger, but all with a determination to move forward.

The family realized they needed to confront the dysfunction of the past, a past that almost destroyed them, and work together towards a future built on trust and honesty with each other.

The hourglass couldn’t help but think, “This is the beginning of a new chapter for the Stevens family.” It felt a sense of hope as the black sand continued to flow.

In the following weeks and months, the mansion transformed from a dark, dreary place to one filled with sunlight. The heavy curtains were removed to be replaced with light, airy ones, and dusty bookshelves were cleared and refinished to bring out the original wood. The mansion, a place of once-hidden secrets, was now a place of light and beauty. In quiet satisfaction, the hourglass watched from its now-honored place on Marcus’ desk as the family began to heal; the hourglass couldn’t help but feel it had played an essential part in Steven’s family's road to discovery and ultimate healing.

Marcus dedicated himself to restoring the family's reputation, working with family members and the community, and trying to rebuild broken relationships over the years.

The hourglass observed his efforts with pride, once more whispering, “I’m proud of you, Marcus; you have finally broken the cycle of darkness that had plagued the family for generations.”

Now the hourglass could rest for a while until the next time it might be needed, its black sand flowing from the upper chamber to the bottom one, turned over to start the sand flowing again, time never stopping, never ceasing.