Until the young émigré arrived, the Watchmaker was the most respected man in town.


    His skill in repairing timepieces was unmatched, his reputation extending to cities far beyond the sleepy borders of the town. People would wait for weeks, sometimes months, just to have their treasured watches restored by his hands.


    And then the émigré came and ruined everything.


    Late one night, the Watchmaker slipped into his tiny workshop. In the dim light, he saw the young émigré hunched over a workbench, meticulously repairing a silver watch.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Jealousy clawed at him. He watched those steady hands, so sure, so unbothered, and felt his own fists tighten.


    As the knife plunged into the émigré’s back, the Watchmaker convinced himself this wasn’t his fault.


    The young man had it coming.


    The next morning, the town awoke to tragedy: the young émigré had been killed while working on a gift for the Watchmaker himself.


    The entire town mourned.