Once.
Behind him, the clock fell from the wall. The glass shattered. The gears spun free.
"The lock isn't in the clock," the man said. His voice was dry leaves. "It's in you." Deadlocked in Time -Finished- - Version- Final
Version: Final
He stepped outside. The sun was low. The air smelled of rain and distant smoke. A car that was not hers drove past. He did not know what time it was. He did not look back at the window. Once. Behind him
The clock ticked.
Finished
Not because it was broken. The gears were pristine, the battery replaced every spring by a man in a grey coat who never spoke. He came, he clicked the new cell into place, he left. And the hands remained frozen at 11:17.