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The Greatest Grandfather Clock
By Angus J
2022
Icklebogg Manor was as cold as a frozen yoghurt in the world’s coldest freezer. The faint sound of a tap dripping could be heard from where Isla Icklebogg was standing.
At 12 years of age, she would rather write a book or eat than explore a creepy old family mansion. This mansion gave her the heebie-jeebies!
Isla suddenly felt tears well in her eyes. She had spotted her grandfather’s urn from last year. Isla’s grandfather, William Icklebogg had died from skin cancer at only age 66. With the death of a much-loved relative on her shoulders, she wasn’t sure she could continue this exploration.
Isla pressed on. After approximately 10 minutes, she came to a dead stop, for an ancient grandfather clock confronted her.
Isla stood there, fixed to the spot, staring at the ancient grandfather clock that stood about 1 or 2 metres from where she was standing. The clock itself looked old enough to have been around when Buckingham Palace was built!
It was only then that Isla realised that one of the cogs had stopped working! She wondered if she could try and fix it.
She leant toward the door of the clock and opened it.
CRREEAK! Isla’s eardrums rattled with the impact. She put one hand to her ear while the other remained on the door handle.
Sounds and lights suddenly burst from the old clock. Isla was now not only focused, but utterly intrigued. She stepped inside the clock, not knowing what was in store…
*****
As Isla wandered around an unfamiliar dusty old road, a filthy fragrance tickled her nostrils and she sneezed a few times. A weird old machine rattled past and she quickly bounded across the road.
A couple of women dressed in long, straight dresses glanced at her with a strange and curious look in their eyes.
Distant jazz music reached her eardrums. It sounded jazzy and fun. The song sounded familiar, like something off one of her grandfather’s old jazz records from the 1920s.
The Town Hall clock nearby chimed 12 and Isla jumped nearly a metre in the dusty air! She landed with a soft thud and a crunch on the gravel below and looked down at her sneakers. Isla’s heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like her at all! She swallowed hard and suddenly realised: “I don’t belong here!”
Isla noticed an old-fashioned shop and as she walked slowly forward, she overheard some fancily-dressed women speaking about her in hushed tones.
“Look at that girl!”
“Oh, I know!”
“How bizarre!”
Isla began feeling very unsettled, when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder.
She jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird she looked. But she didn’t…
Instead, she saw a boy about the same age as her, dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
“I get that a lot,” Isla said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.
Isla wondered if she should ask the boy where (and when) she was, exactly. But how? She couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?”
NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS!!
Suddenly, an idea came to her!
“Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” Isla said.
“Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.”
“I’m Isla”, she said. “What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?”
Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.”
1929! WOWZA! Now Isla knew she had time-travelled!
And then it dawned on her… the 15th June, 1929 was Isla’s deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, she could write a letter to her great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby!
“Hey, Colin?” asked Isla. “Do you have any idea where Icklebogg Manor is?” Hoping that Colin would know, she held her breath.
“Pfft! Of course! Who wouldn’t?” Colin replied.
Isla let out the breath that she was holding. “Well, where is it?”
“It’s in the Eastern suburbs, and there’s a tram leaving for there in…” Colin looked up at the clock on the roof of the Town Hall. “5 minutes!!”
Colin and Isla ran in the direction of the nearest tram stop. As she was running, Isla caught glimpses of people pointing and staring at her, and she suddenly realised that it was probably her denim shorts, tie-dyed t-shirt and bright blue-sneakers that were drawing people’s attention.
“Umm…Hey Colin?” she asked as they were waiting for the tram.
“Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I borrow some of your clothes?”
Isla knew this seemed like a stupid thing to ask, but she thought it was worth a shot.
“Sure! I’ve got some spare clothes in my satchel!” said Colin.
“Really?? Why?” Isla couldn’t believe her luck!
“Listen, don’t tell my mum. Okay?”
“Okaaay…”
“I’m actually meant to be at school, but I think it stinks! That’s why I’m wandering about Sydney, looking for something to do.”
“Right…”
Colin got out his spare clothes and shoved them in Isla’s face. Isla quickly put on the button-up, collared shirt, and long cotton shorts over her own 1990’s outfit, and tried to rub some dirt onto her sneakers, in an attempt to disguise how brightly coloured they were.
As the tram rattled to a stop just in front of where they were standing, Isla hesitated, wondering whether she would be safe on this strange, out-dated form of transport. But Colin grabbed Isla’s hand and pulled her up onto the tram, and led her to a hard, wooden bench seat right at the back.
Isla suddenly wondered where and when she would write the letter to her great-grandmother. After a minute or two, she decided to do it right there and then!
“Hey Colin, do you happen to have a pencil and some paper in your satchel? I just want to write something down.”
“Sure!” said Colin, as he reached into his satchel and retrieved a strange looking pencil, and tore out a page from a leather-bound notebook.
“Wow, thanks!” exclaimed Isla, surprised again at how incredibly useful her new friend Colin was proving to be.
As the tram bumped along the noisy tracks, Isla somehow managed to write the following letter to her great-grandmother:
Dear Mrs. Sally Icklebogg,
Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby boy! I am just writing to warn you about something called ‘skin cancer’, which is a very common thing that can happen if you spend too much time in the sun. To prevent skin cancer, I highly recommend NOT leaving your child in the sun for long periods of time. Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the middle of the day, and in summer. It is also wise to encourage your child to wear a hat when playing outdoors.
Kind regards,
Ms. M. Morgan
(Midwife & Child Health Nurse)
Isla folded the letter and put it into the deep pocket of Colin’s long cotton shorts. As she handed the pencil back to Colin, she wondered what impact the words she had written could have on history…
Isla’s thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly felt Colin pulling her by the hand, saying “Quick! We need to hop off here!”
The tram had barely stopped when Isla and Colin jumped out of the open doorway, onto another dusty road. But the surrounding buildings were different this time. Several large, grand-looking houses lined the street, and each had a beautiful garden. For the first time since she had arrived in 1929, Isla felt slightly familiar with her surroundings.
“This way!” shouted Colin, as he led Isla in the direction of Icklebogg Manor.
Around 5 minutes later, they had arrived at the huge double doors of Icklebogg Manor. Isla’s knocking boomed loudly, and the huge doors were opened by a woman dressed all in white (who Isla assumed was the maid).
“Yes?” she said in a delicate voice.
“Colin,” whispered Isla out of the corner of her mouth. “Create a diversion while I sneak inside and deliver this letter.”
“Sounds good!” Colin whispered back.
“Hey Gladys! How long has it been? Must be about 10 years now!” said Colin, sounding like he had known the maid once.
“Uhh…Do I know you?” the maid asked cautiously.
“Perfect!” thought Isla, as she slipped inside.
Isla shivered, feeling a familiar sense of cold as she stood in the grand hallway of Icklebogg Manor.
She noticed a door to her right, and through a crack in the door, she could see a midwife’s suitcase on the floor. “Perfect!” she thought. Now she could slip the letter under the door and go!
But just after she finished delivering the letter, Isla caught sight of the same grandfather clock that had allowed her to time-travel over 60 years into the past!
“Maybe…” she thought, “just maybe I could get back home via that clock!! But first I have to say bye to Colin!”
Isla darted to the front doors, where Colin was standing there cracking awful jokes.
“You know…I’ve always wanted to juggle, but I’ve never had THE BALLS for it!!”
The maid cracked up.
Isla grabbed Colin by the arm and yanked him to the side.
“Hey Colin…it’s been really nice to meet you, but I’m sorry, I need to go back home now.”
“Oh, okay,” said Colin, disappointed. “Do you want me to catch the tram with you?”
“No, it’s ok.” Isla said. “I can go alone.”
“Okay. Goodbye then. I guess I’ll see ya ‘round.”
“See ya.”
And with that, Isla walked back into the grand hallway where the ancient grandfather clock stood. Isla opened the not-yet creaky door and WHOOSH!...she was gone.
*****
“Where am I?” asked Isla, slightly dazed.
“Icklebogg Manor, of course!” replied an all-too familiar voice. Isla looked up to see…Grandfather Icklebogg! Isla’s grandfather pulled her into the tightest hug of all time and said, “Come on! It’s my turn to hide, and your turn to seek! We don’t have any time to waste!”
“No, not at all.”
THE END
By Angus J
2022
Icklebogg Manor was as cold as a frozen yoghurt in the world’s coldest freezer. The faint sound of a tap dripping could be heard from where Isla Icklebogg was standing.
At 12 years of age, she would rather write a book or eat than explore a creepy old family mansion. This mansion gave her the heebie-jeebies!
Isla suddenly felt tears well in her eyes. She had spotted her grandfather’s urn from last year. Isla’s grandfather, William Icklebogg had died from skin cancer at only age 66. With the death of a much-loved relative on her shoulders, she wasn’t sure she could continue this exploration.
Isla pressed on. After approximately 10 minutes, she came to a dead stop, for an ancient grandfather clock confronted her.
Isla stood there, fixed to the spot, staring at the ancient grandfather clock that stood about 1 or 2 metres from where she was standing. The clock itself looked old enough to have been around when Buckingham Palace was built!
It was only then that Isla realised that one of the cogs had stopped working! She wondered if she could try and fix it.
She leant toward the door of the clock and opened it.
CRREEAK! Isla’s eardrums rattled with the impact. She put one hand to her ear while the other remained on the door handle.
Sounds and lights suddenly burst from the old clock. Isla was now not only focused, but utterly intrigued. She stepped inside the clock, not knowing what was in store…
*****
As Isla wandered around an unfamiliar dusty old road, a filthy fragrance tickled her nostrils and she sneezed a few times. A weird old machine rattled past and she quickly bounded across the road.
A couple of women dressed in long, straight dresses glanced at her with a strange and curious look in their eyes.
Distant jazz music reached her eardrums. It sounded jazzy and fun. The song sounded familiar, like something off one of her grandfather’s old jazz records from the 1920s.
The Town Hall clock nearby chimed 12 and Isla jumped nearly a metre in the dusty air! She landed with a soft thud and a crunch on the gravel below and looked down at her sneakers. Isla’s heart skipped a beat. Nobody else was wearing lace-up sneakers! In fact, nobody was dressed like her at all! She swallowed hard and suddenly realised: “I don’t belong here!”
Isla noticed an old-fashioned shop and as she walked slowly forward, she overheard some fancily-dressed women speaking about her in hushed tones.
“Look at that girl!”
“Oh, I know!”
“How bizarre!”
Isla began feeling very unsettled, when she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder.
She jerked around, expecting to see a fully grown man wanting to say how weird she looked. But she didn’t…
Instead, she saw a boy about the same age as her, dressed in a tweed jacket and bow tie. “You look strange!” he said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
“I get that a lot,” Isla said, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.
Isla wondered if she should ask the boy where (and when) she was, exactly. But how? She couldn’t just say, “Hi! I’m Isla Icklebogg and I just walked through an ancient grandfather clock and arrived here! I suspect it could have been time- travel! If so, where & when am I?”
NO WAY! NEVER! NOT IN A MONTH OF SUNDAYS!!
Suddenly, an idea came to her!
“Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know your name,” Isla said.
“Colin,” he replied. “Colin Carter.”
“I’m Isla”, she said. “What’s the date today, please? I’ve travelled a LOONG way and I’ve… lost track of the time! Where and when am I?”
Colin chuckled a genuine, high chuckle. “Fair enough. The trams out here are mighty unreliable! Today is Wednesday, the 15th June, 1929. And the answer to your ‘where’ question is George St, Sydney, NSW, Australia.”
1929! WOWZA! Now Isla knew she had time-travelled!
And then it dawned on her… the 15th June, 1929 was Isla’s deceased grandfather’s birthday! Maybe, just maybe, she could write a letter to her great-grandmother saying to take good care of her new baby!
“Hey, Colin?” asked Isla. “Do you have any idea where Icklebogg Manor is?” Hoping that Colin would know, she held her breath.
“Pfft! Of course! Who wouldn’t?” Colin replied.
Isla let out the breath that she was holding. “Well, where is it?”
“It’s in the Eastern suburbs, and there’s a tram leaving for there in…” Colin looked up at the clock on the roof of the Town Hall. “5 minutes!!”
Colin and Isla ran in the direction of the nearest tram stop. As she was running, Isla caught glimpses of people pointing and staring at her, and she suddenly realised that it was probably her denim shorts, tie-dyed t-shirt and bright blue-sneakers that were drawing people’s attention.
“Umm…Hey Colin?” she asked as they were waiting for the tram.
“Yeah?”
“Do you mind if I borrow some of your clothes?”
Isla knew this seemed like a stupid thing to ask, but she thought it was worth a shot.
“Sure! I’ve got some spare clothes in my satchel!” said Colin.
“Really?? Why?” Isla couldn’t believe her luck!
“Listen, don’t tell my mum. Okay?”
“Okaaay…”
“I’m actually meant to be at school, but I think it stinks! That’s why I’m wandering about Sydney, looking for something to do.”
“Right…”
Colin got out his spare clothes and shoved them in Isla’s face. Isla quickly put on the button-up, collared shirt, and long cotton shorts over her own 1990’s outfit, and tried to rub some dirt onto her sneakers, in an attempt to disguise how brightly coloured they were.
As the tram rattled to a stop just in front of where they were standing, Isla hesitated, wondering whether she would be safe on this strange, out-dated form of transport. But Colin grabbed Isla’s hand and pulled her up onto the tram, and led her to a hard, wooden bench seat right at the back.
Isla suddenly wondered where and when she would write the letter to her great-grandmother. After a minute or two, she decided to do it right there and then!
“Hey Colin, do you happen to have a pencil and some paper in your satchel? I just want to write something down.”
“Sure!” said Colin, as he reached into his satchel and retrieved a strange looking pencil, and tore out a page from a leather-bound notebook.
“Wow, thanks!” exclaimed Isla, surprised again at how incredibly useful her new friend Colin was proving to be.
As the tram bumped along the noisy tracks, Isla somehow managed to write the following letter to her great-grandmother:
Dear Mrs. Sally Icklebogg,
Congratulations on the arrival of your new baby boy! I am just writing to warn you about something called ‘skin cancer’, which is a very common thing that can happen if you spend too much time in the sun. To prevent skin cancer, I highly recommend NOT leaving your child in the sun for long periods of time. Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the middle of the day, and in summer. It is also wise to encourage your child to wear a hat when playing outdoors.
Kind regards,
Ms. M. Morgan
(Midwife & Child Health Nurse)
Isla folded the letter and put it into the deep pocket of Colin’s long cotton shorts. As she handed the pencil back to Colin, she wondered what impact the words she had written could have on history…
Isla’s thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly felt Colin pulling her by the hand, saying “Quick! We need to hop off here!”
The tram had barely stopped when Isla and Colin jumped out of the open doorway, onto another dusty road. But the surrounding buildings were different this time. Several large, grand-looking houses lined the street, and each had a beautiful garden. For the first time since she had arrived in 1929, Isla felt slightly familiar with her surroundings.
“This way!” shouted Colin, as he led Isla in the direction of Icklebogg Manor.
Around 5 minutes later, they had arrived at the huge double doors of Icklebogg Manor. Isla’s knocking boomed loudly, and the huge doors were opened by a woman dressed all in white (who Isla assumed was the maid).
“Yes?” she said in a delicate voice.
“Colin,” whispered Isla out of the corner of her mouth. “Create a diversion while I sneak inside and deliver this letter.”
“Sounds good!” Colin whispered back.
“Hey Gladys! How long has it been? Must be about 10 years now!” said Colin, sounding like he had known the maid once.
“Uhh…Do I know you?” the maid asked cautiously.
“Perfect!” thought Isla, as she slipped inside.
Isla shivered, feeling a familiar sense of cold as she stood in the grand hallway of Icklebogg Manor.
She noticed a door to her right, and through a crack in the door, she could see a midwife’s suitcase on the floor. “Perfect!” she thought. Now she could slip the letter under the door and go!
But just after she finished delivering the letter, Isla caught sight of the same grandfather clock that had allowed her to time-travel over 60 years into the past!
“Maybe…” she thought, “just maybe I could get back home via that clock!! But first I have to say bye to Colin!”
Isla darted to the front doors, where Colin was standing there cracking awful jokes.
“You know…I’ve always wanted to juggle, but I’ve never had THE BALLS for it!!”
The maid cracked up.
Isla grabbed Colin by the arm and yanked him to the side.
“Hey Colin…it’s been really nice to meet you, but I’m sorry, I need to go back home now.”
“Oh, okay,” said Colin, disappointed. “Do you want me to catch the tram with you?”
“No, it’s ok.” Isla said. “I can go alone.”
“Okay. Goodbye then. I guess I’ll see ya ‘round.”
“See ya.”
And with that, Isla walked back into the grand hallway where the ancient grandfather clock stood. Isla opened the not-yet creaky door and WHOOSH!...she was gone.
*****
“Where am I?” asked Isla, slightly dazed.
“Icklebogg Manor, of course!” replied an all-too familiar voice. Isla looked up to see…Grandfather Icklebogg! Isla’s grandfather pulled her into the tightest hug of all time and said, “Come on! It’s my turn to hide, and your turn to seek! We don’t have any time to waste!”
“No, not at all.”
THE END