Twinkle, Twinkle

It was a warm spring morning as Starr Ferguson made her way through the quaint village she now called home. She smiled indulgently at the flower-strewn streets, the sunbathing cats, and the shouting children at play in the schoolyard, happily reflecting on how these were all part and parcel of her new life. Oh, what a wonderful change of pace this all was from the hectic city! So much more tranquil... relaxing... innocent... It was as if she had gone back in time, truly. And she was definitely here for it.

Not that everyone had welcomed her in with open arms, of course. Even before arriving, she had known intellectually that small villages were tight-knit, insular places – places in which outsiders like her might be viewed with suspicion or even dislike. But, she had reasoned brightly to herself, that wasn't all that different from the city, really. And besides, with her sparkling personality and outgoing ways, she'd win their hearts over in no time. There was nothing like a bright smile, a good bit of cleavage, and a laugh to make people like you, after all!

She hummed gently as she jogged down over the bridge and into the maze of shops beyond. Where the heck was it, again? Somewhere off to the left, the map had said. Sort of beside a wacky-looking crossroad of three winding streets...

Aha, here it was! "Jerry's Clock -nd Watch Repai-," the weatherbeaten sign above the door read. She paused momentarily to wipe her sneakers on the mat and brush back her unruly blonde hair from her eyes, then stepped carefully inside to the jingling sound of the little bells affixed to the inside doorknob. Well, then! Where was Jerry?

Behind the counter, apparently – and deeply absorbed in his work, judging by the astonishingly thick magnifying spectacles currently perched on his hawk-like nose. Starr approached the counter briskly, her friendliest smile at the ready. "Hi there! Good morning!"

No response.

She waited for a moment, then plunged on undaunted, smiling more widely than ever. "So, I- um, I have a little problem with my watch? Darn thing didn't seem to like falling into the bathtub, you see- heh-heh!" She tittered at her own joke, the mirthful sound ringing strangely through the quietly ticking silence of the shop. "And so, I heard you're just wonderful at fixing these things, and well... here I am! Hee-hee!"

A long pause, and then at long last the owlish eyes glanced up at her through over the spectacles. "I see," Jerry murmured, his tone far from welcoming. "So you think drowning a timepiece, is funny, do you, miss?" Starr winced slightly, but flashed her brightest smile anew. "Um, no, sir! I mean, well, it was kinda funny at the time, but- but I can see that for someone like you who- you know, who does nothing but fix watches- I mean, I'm sure you do more than just fix watches, but you see-"

Dammit, she was losing it!

Fortunately, Jerry finally rose from his seat and waved her forward curtly. "I see how it is. Well, I'm sure we can figure out a fix for you, miss..." His eyes swept over her, head to foot, an inscrutable expression on his wrinkled face as he took in her blonde perm, her low-cut blouse, and her tiny shorts. But when he began again, his tone had become suddenly friendlier. "Well then! First, I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me with a little fix of my own? An attractive young thing like you is going to be just perfect for it, I know."

"Wait, what- Me help you fix something?" Starr, exhilarated by the old man's sudden change in tone, was eager to impress. "Of course, sir. Anything to help! Hee-hee!" And before she quite knew what was happening, she found herself crouching down before a small table upon which there sat a curious-looking clock, its face adorned with the most beautiful patterns of swirls and stars.

"Now, let's leave that watch of yours be for now, shall we?" Jerry spoke, taking up his place behind the little table. "You see, I merely need someone to help me get this pendulum set just right." He tweaked a knob in the back, and immediately a tinkling melody began to play - a melody Starr knew by heart. "Can't let the thing play too fast, you know. So why don't you just sing along with that tune for me, miss? Just keep an eye on that pendulum for me, and make sure it ticks in time to the song. Can you do that for me?"

Starr hadn't exactly planned on singing to find her way into the hearts of these townspeople, but she was never one to back down. "Okay, sure," she agreed with a little self-conscious giggle, and opened her mouth to begin. "Twin-kle, twin-kle, lit-tle star..."

As she sang along with the tinkling melody, she found her eyes strangely drawn to the pendulum as it swept steadily back and forth within the clock. It had such an odd, swirling pattern on it - a pattern that generated a fascinating optical illusion as it swayed from side to side. How I won-der what you are. Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tock. Wow, so perfectly in time! Up a-bove the world you fly, tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock-tock...

Was it just her, or was the melody slowing down? Not, it must just be her. Twin kle twin kle lit tle star... She needed to keep time, just like that amazing pendulum. Sing it out. Think the words, feel the tick-tock-tick-tock of the clock. Don't get distracted by those swirls. But, so, so pretty. How. I Wun. Der. Wha. Yoo. Arr.

The chiming little round began again, though it seemed different now somehow. Tin. Kle. Tin. Kle. Li. Ull. Starr. So... pretty... Her eyes were feeling so heavy all of a sudden... or maybe not. Maybe they'd always felt like this... so swirling and heavy and- and- How. I Wun. Durr. Wha. Yoo. Arr. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Nice... Swirls...

There was a low voice now in her ear, a voice that sounded oddly familiar. It was a kindly voice, telling her how good and pretty she was, how sweet and funny. Yes, yes. She liked that. How good she was to help people. How good that she listened and did what people asked her to. Yes, of course. Good. Tin. Kle. Tin. Kle. Yes, she do what they tell her do. She do. Tin. Kle. Tin. Kle. Li. Ull. Starr...

As the young woman's unfocused gaze stared blankly into the gently ticking clock, and as her dribbling lips faltered out the syllables of the song that contained her own name, an odd smile slowly spread across the old man's face. Perfect. Served a posh city slicker like her right, coming in here dressed like a tramp and acting like she owned the place, like she knew everything. No better way to teach her her own place than this.

The smile grew wider as he glanced down and saw a wet spurt blossoming out from between her legs. And as the dark rivulet flowed down, staining the denim of her skimpy little shorts before trickling down her bare thighs, Jerry shook his head in amusement. "You really do just that, Miss Starr. Tinkle, tinkle, eh? I bet you're going to do that a lot from now on, aren't you?"

To which the only response was a vacant nod from Starr's blonde head. A nod that, like the glance from her empty eyes, kept time with the ticking of the clock that now held her captive.

Jerry was humming the tune himself in satisfaction as he made his way slowly back to his former seat behind the counter. Oh, it was all quite okay. The girl would come back to her senses in a little while - just like clockwork. And yes, she'd probably blush and scream and panic when she discovered the unusually wet state of her pants.

Not that it mattered. There was something in that empty head of hers now that far outweighed any shouting or threats she might make. For unless he had miscalculated - and it had been years since he had - she was going to find it quite impossible to keep those pretty shorts of hers dry from here on out...