They were sitting there in silence, waiting for something to happen. They all knew what day it was, they all knew something was going to happen. It was inevitable. Manny was fidgeting in his seat, the quiet made him uncomfortable. He wasn't sure who was going to be teaching them today, he was dreading their lesson. He knew it was gonna be hell, that whoever was going to appear was going to make it horrible. He had hoped that he would see his dad today but he hadn't heard anything from his father in ages. It made him feel sad, the one parent he had left didn't even bother checking in every now and then. Manny felt lucky that he had Harry and Robin looking after him. He always had the slightest feeling that his father didn't know how. It didn't matter now though, they were still impatiently waiting for the teacher to arrive and make their lives hell. In the background, Manny could hear the ticking of a clock. He sighed, he hated this guy.

"Come on guys, stop mucking about. It's almost five minutes until our show is on," Harry said. It seems he had noticed the ticking as well.

"That's not enough time," Robin replied, glancing at his pocket watch.

"There's always time for a story!"

They all looked up at the blue clock that had appeared on the wall. He grinned at them all. Manny gulped, his fears close to getting the better of him. Tony hopped down from the wall and landed on the floor in front of them. He grabbed something off screen and pulled it out. It was an old book with yellowing pages and dog-eared corners. He blew the dust off of it into Robin's face, making him cough.

"I hope you're all sitting comfortably," the clock said, watching all of them closely.

They all shifted a little in their seats just to make Tony happy. If Tony was angry then the punishment would be worse. He smiled and opened the book up, clearing his throat. The pages crinkled softly as they were turned over.

"This story is called... Father's Day," he said.

Manny held his breath; he knew this was gonna happen.

"Once upon a time, there was a happy family. In this family there was a man, his loving wife and their precious little boy. They lived in the country side in a lovely big house and they were all happy together. They would always play outside in the surrounding fields, watch films together and have joyful conversations."

That sounded familiar to Manny but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He remembered his happy family times with his mummy and daddy.

"One day, the wife discovered she was going to have a baby. The family was very happy about this; another little addition would be perfect for them. So they excitedly waited for nine months for the little bundle of joy that would soon be in this world."

Tony quickly glanced up at them and smiled again. He seemed glad that he had their attention although there was almost malicious intent gleaming in his eyes.

"But when those nine months were over, they lost the little girl they had been so happy about. It would've been alright but the little boy's mother also drifted away with her."

Manny looked around at the others. Robin seemed confused but Harry's eyes were wide with shock and anger.

"The father, filled with grief, hid himself away. He began to neglect his little son, he felt stupid for believing they could all be happy."

Tears were flowing down his face; Manny lifted his hands to his face to wipe them away. Why was he crying?

"The child got used to this; he was oblivious to his father's depression. This angered the man. The child was greedy, demanding, whiny, annoying and the man found himself despising his own creation."

Robin stopped Harry from getting up; he didn't want him to get hurt. Manny looked at them both. Harry's eyes were filled with fury while Robin's looked more concerned.

"He set up an elaborate plan and with the help of a certain red friend, the plan worked. The torture had begun. The man had hoped that his son would've written him a card for the most special day of the year but..."

Tony stood up and walked over to Manny, towering over him and his stool.

"... he didn't," he hissed, turning the book around to reveal blank pages," Where is it?"

"Leave him alone!" Harry shouted at the clock.

Tony turned to Harry, smile almost cracking his glass face.

"I'm afraid I can't do that friend, orders from the boss," he said," either he makes a card or his time is up."

"We don't care about your stupid time, we already know it's too late!"

"Oh, dearie me, you don't really understand at all my friends," the clock laughed.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked before Harry could speak again.

"Well, you see, time controls the masses. Everyone wants to know what time is, how it exists, why is exists. Most of all, everyone wants to know when their time will be up," Tony said," I'm sure yours will be up soon."

Manny winced, he didn't want to know that.

"I've made a card," he whimpered, cowering underneath Tony.

The clock looked at him in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's upstairs," he muttered, terrified.

"Well, go get it then. I'll let you off with a warning then!"

Manny rushed up the stairs into their room. He searched through all the clutter by his bed, tears forming in his eyes. He had finally remembered the story. It was of his family and the little sister who had disappeared so many years ago. She had... died? He wished his dad had told him sooner, maybe they wouldn't be here now if he had.

"Ah hah!" He said, gently pulling the card from a pile of toy cars. It was a little wrinkled but he hoped that the scary clock downstairs wouldn't comment on it.

He ran back down and handed the card to Tony, who inspected it for a while. He frowned, which scared Manny. He was so sure that it wouldn't be good enough but was shocked when the clock nodded a little sheepishly.

"Roy will let you all off for now but expect one of us back soon. You're punishment will be worse," he said before disappearing.

The second he was gone Manny crumpled onto the floor in tears. Harry and Robin both hugged him, whispering reassuring words in his ears. He smiled. He had come prepared and they hadn't gotten hurt. They stayed there for hours, on the floor hugging each other as if one of them would vanish at any second. Manny felt happy, relieved, glad but most of all, he felt hope. Hope for a new future.