Thief of Time - Glass Clock

'How would we go about building this?' Jeremy spread the sheet on the table.

The slice of toast dropped from Igors black-nailed fingers.

'Is there something wrong?' said Jeremy.

'I thought thomeone wath walking over my grave, thur,' said Igor, still looking shocked.

'Er, you haven't actually ever had a grave, have you?' said Jeremy.

'Jutht a figure of thpeech, thur, jutht a figure of thpeech,' said Igor, looking hurt.

'This is an idea I've ...I've had for a clock...'

'The Glath Clock,' said Igor. 'Yeth. I know about it. My grandfather Igor helped build the firtht one.'

'The first one? But it's just a story for children! And I dreamed about it, and-'

'Grandfather Igor alwayth thaid there wath thomething very thtrange about all that,' said Igor. 'The ecthplothion and everything.'

'It exploded? Because of the metal spring?'

'Not ecthactly an ecthplothion,' said Igor. 'We're no thtrangerth to ecthplothionth, uth Igorth. It wath ... very odd. And we're no thtrangerth to odd, either.'

'Are you telling me it really existed?' Igor seemed embarrassed about this. 'Yeth,' he said, 'and then again, no.’

'Things either exist or they don't,' said Jeremy. 'I am very clear about that. I have medicine.'

'It ecthithted,' said Igor, 'and then, after it did, it never had. Thith ith what my grandfather told me, and he built that clock with thethe very handth!’

***

The Thief of Time - p55