Pocket Watch
9 yr old Varian had the house to himself, but he had chosen to work in the lab Quirin reluctantly let him have. It was nice and quiet, and he could work on his projects in peace. Quirin and some of the other men had left to go fox hunting, accompanied by the smug teenager David. Quirin knew better than to invite Varian along. Not only did Varian faint at the sight of blood, but he was starting to raise 'moral objections' to hunting, saying it was cruel to chase an animal simply because it was a nuisance.
But even if they disagreed on what was animal cruelty, Varian loved his father and wanted to support him. So he decided to make something non-violent but that Quirin could take with him on hunts, if he wanted. For that reason, Varian was making a pocket watch.
The watch was rounded and flat, with no small edges. It could fit snugly in Quirin's pocket. Crystal was used to cover the face. You could wind and set the watch by opening the back and fitting a key to a small arbor, then turning it. Using a cylinder escapement force was driven from a coiled spring to the timepiece's gear train. Each swing of the balance wheel released a tooth on the escapement's escape wheel, which allowed the clock's gear train to advance a fixed amount, moving the clock's hands forward at a steady rate, thus making a ticking sound as it kept the time. Varian was proud of the precise inner workings of his watch, but what really excited him was the extra feature he'd designed- a spring-hinged metal lid that protected the dial and crystal from scratches or other damage. The lid-hinge was at the 9 o'clock position while the bow, stem, and crown of the watch was at the 3 o'clock position. The outer lid had a glass panel in the center through which you could still view the hands, while the lid was closed. With blue enamel paint, Varian had marked off the hours on the lid, so Quirin could tell the time, even without opening it.
It had taken all day for Varian to assemble the watch, with the sun setting as he finished. Varian left the lab just in time to see the hunters return with their kill. It made Varian a little queasy to look at the dead animal, but he shoved those feelings down into the pit of his stomach, and ran to greet Quirin.
"Dad! Dad!" Varian called out happily. David dismounted his horse and stuck his foot out, tripping Varian while making it look like an accident. The watch went flying but was thankfully caught by Quirin as Varian landed in the mud.
"Varian? Are you alright?" Quirin asked. Varian got up, trying futilely to wipe the mud off his apron. He smiled anyway.
"I made you a present, Dad." Varian blurted out. "Check it out."
Quirin turned the small metal object over in his hands. It was a watch, much like the ones they'd seen in Corona's finer shops, only this one had a polished case around it and in the center he could see the watch hands slowly moving. "Varian, this is very impressive." Quirin said as he looked it over.
Varian beamed. "I thought you could take it with you, when you're in the fields or on a hunt or going to town. It fits in your pocket." Varian explained. "Do you want me to show you how to wind it?"
Quirin nodded and Varian demonstrated. Some of the townspeople crowded around too, eager to have a look.
"What about the fox? I was the one who commanded the dogs to kill it! They bit him, right in the throat!" David demanded attention.
"Yes, yes, very well done." David's father Burt replied distractedly. "But I've never seen a watch like this! And so tiny! You'd never catch me fiddling with those little gears, I'd probably break them." Burt said.
"I have small fingers, and I'm getting used to delicate work with my inventions. This one wasn't so hard." Varian replied.
"But what about the fox?! We gotta cut off the head so I can have a trophy." David pouted.
"We'll get that done shortly, son. Sure is a lovely watch." Burt looked wistfully at it a moment before turning to his son. David was quietly furious at his Dad for being enamored by the watch even for a second. He glared at Varian. Pushing him in the mud hadn't been enough, tomorrow he'd really have to get even with that stupid baby, showing him up like that in front of everybody.
"Thank you, Varian. I'm lucky to have such a thoughtful son." Quirin said. "Let's get you home and cleaned up for dinner, and you can tell me about your day."
"Okay, Dad." Varian replied happily.
David's eyes narrowed as he watched the happy family head home. Oh yes, Varian would definitely have to pay.
The End
Yeesh, David's a little bloodthirsty, isn't he? I agree with Varian on hunting being cruel, but it was an ordinary part of life back then, and I doubt most people questioned it.