In a small town in Russia, there was a very special clock. This was no ordinary clock, for it could talk. It was placed in the oldest house in the town, and the owner of the house was a kind old grandmother.
One day, a little boy came to visit the old grandmother's house. As soon as the little boy entered the room, he was attracted by this talking clock. He had never seen such a clock before, and his eyes were full of curiosity. He walked up to the clock and looked at it quietly. At this time, the clock suddenly said, "Hello, little friend." The little boy was startled, but soon became excited and asked, "How can you talk?" The clock replied, "I have been here for many, many years. I have witnessed the passage of time and thus have my own thoughts, so I can talk."
The little boy found it extremely interesting and started chatting with the clock. He asked the clock, "What is time?" The clock smiled and said, "Time is like a long river, flowing ceaselessly. The alternation of day and night, and the change of the four seasons are all the footsteps of time." The little boy nodded as if he understood. The clock continued, "Every minute and every second is precious. Little friend, you should cherish time." The little boy said, "Then how can I know whether I have cherished time or not?" The clock replied, "When you do meaningful things every day, such as helping others and learning new knowledge, that means you are cherishing time."
The little boy thought what the clock said was very reasonable. He ran to pull the old grandmother over, wanting her to listen to the clock talking too. The old grandmother sat beside the little boy, and the clock began to speak again, "I have seen the changes in this family here. I have seen the children grow up and also seen the marks left by the years on people's faces. Time is the fairest. It gives everyone 24 hours a day." The old grandmother listened and nodded with a smile. She said to the little boy, "Baby, you should remember what the clock said and make good use of time."
The little boy was about to go home. He looked back at the clock again at the door. The clock said to him, "Little friend, hope to see you next time. Remember to cherish time." The little boy nodded vigorously and then left the old grandmother's house. Since then, the little boy always remembered that talking clock, and he also tried hard to cherish every minute and every second and do a lot of meaningful things.
