After admiring his new pocket watch, Lewis retrieves the letter from the side where he had left it safely.
He can't believe he actually has a letter addressed to him.
He checks out the stamp to see if it is one he already has in his stamp collection, or a new stamp.
Carefully he opens up the envelope...
...and starts to read.
Dear Lewis,
Now you are living
in England ‘on the other side of the pond’ as some might say, I thought it was
the right time to send you this little pocket watch. It was made in the early 1900s and still
keeps time today. You do have to remember to wind it carefully and not over-wind
it though. You have probably heard
people say “They don’t make things like they used to” and that is quite right
too. I wonder how many things that are made
today will still be around 100 years from now. Time waits for no man, and the time is right
for you to become its next caretaker.
This watch actually
belonged to your Great Aunt Lucinda, who originally bought it in France while
on one of her expeditions when she was a young lady, but don’t let that put you
off, it can easily be a young boy’s, sorry young man’s watch, it just needs a
short chain and a pin to attach it to a waistcoat or jacket pocket. It is
not magic like some of the watches you read about in stories. It doesn’t hold
any secrets; it is just a special heirloom to remind you of times gone past and
family.
He turns to the second page.
Don’t dwell on the past too much though as we can’t change the past,
but hopefully learn from it. Rather it is the future we need to be more concerned
about, too many young people nowadays just live in the present without much
thought to the future, and our future is in threat. But I don’t want to go into
such a deep conversation about that in this letter to you my Dear Lewis, time
enough to worry about that another time. There I go
again talking about time, perhaps it is a feature of my age, as time seems to
go so much faster the older I get.
Now back to
it being an heirloom. Don’t be afraid to use and wear it. If things are hidden
away they are no joy to anyone. Watches
were made to be worn and used and hopefully this watch will guide you through
your days when you need to know the time, and perhaps when you look at it, you
will remember us with affection.
Take care
young man,
Yours
affectionately
Great Uncle
Stan.
Gosh he does think his Great Uncle Stan is a bit of a funny one. But what intrigues him most is the thought that his Great Aunt Lucinda might have actually been an explorer. After all it is explorers who go on Expeditions!
He puts the watch close to his ear to see if he can hear it ticking.
I am sure this watch must be magic, Lewis thinks to himself. It is just that Great Uncle Stan didn't know how to discover it. Wait until I tell Peggy Sue and Henry all about my letter, Great Aunt Lucinda and this watch.
