The Enchanted Watch

Long ago, there lived a poor young man named Felix. He was kind, quick-witted, and wasn't afraid to work hard, but luck always seemed to elude him. One day, he said farewell to his old mother and set out to seek his fortune.

On the road, Felix shared his last bread with a hungry old woman. He also untangled a little bird that had gotten caught in a thorn bush and helped a fish, helplessly flopping on a stone, return to the water. When the sun began to set, he met the same old woman again. She smiled at him, and in her eyes glimmered something not quite of this world.

"You shared without counting," she said. "Kindness never loses its way. Take this." She handed him a small, beautiful silver pocket watch. "It is a watch, but also more than that. When need is great, open the lid and say: 'Tick-tock, little watch, help me now.' But use it with wisdom."

Felix thanked her, tucked the watch in his pocket, and wandered on. At last he came to a great city. There sat the king, sorrowful in his palace, and Princess Florina never smiled. She had promised to choose her husband from among those who showed her something truly wonderful and good, not just expensive and glittering. Knights and princes came with jewels and curiosities, but the princess's eyes remained serious.

Felix stood far back in the hall and felt his heart sink. "What do I have to show?" he whispered. Then he remembered the old woman's words. He went out into the quiet night, opened the lid, and said: "Tick-tock, little watch, help me now. Give me something that can make a sorrowful princess smile – something good, beautiful, and true."

From the watch's little nest sprang a glimpse of light, almost as if an invisible hand were working quickly. When dawn came, there stood a garden outside the princess's window where, the evening before, there had been only empty stone. Paths of white marble wound between trees with silver leaves and golden fruits that smelled like summer rain. A clear spring sang, and small birds, free and happy, built nests in the branches. Everything looked as if the earth itself had been led back to its first, best day.

When the princess drew aside the curtain and saw the garden, she stopped – and then she smiled. She went down, saw Felix waiting shyly at the gate, and said: "This is not just beautiful. It is kind. You didn't think about dazzling me – you wanted to gladden me. Who are you?"

Felix told openly about his journey and his gift, but mentioned no more about the watch than that a good friend had helped him. The king, who loved his daughter's smile more than all treasures, embraced Felix. Soon a wedding was celebrated, and the people rejoiced.

At court, however, there was a cunning lady-in-waiting, the Countess of Malva. She envied the new prince and wondered where his wonders came from. One evening, when Felix and Florina sat alone in the garden, the countess asked to see his little silver watch. "I collect beautiful things," she said mildly. "Let me just hear how it strikes."

Felix, who was kind-hearted and suspected nothing evil, handed over the watch. The countess's eyes gleamed. She opened the lid, and before Felix could say anything, she whispered the words: "Tick-tock, little watch, help me now – make the watch's power obey me and only me!"

There was a whoosh, like when a candle is extinguished. The silver watch suddenly became heavy in the countess's hand. When Felix reached for it, she smiled coldly and walked away. The next morning, the garden was transformed. The birds were silent, the spring fell quiet, and the trees stood without luster. The countess had also whispered more cunning words to the watch: that the prince should appear as a fraud who had stolen honor he didn't deserve.

People whispered, and Felix, who loved truth more than his own name, asked the king for permission to travel away until he could clear himself. Florina cried but trusted him. "Come back to me," she said. "I shall keep the place in my heart free until then."

Felix wandered out again, alone and poor as before. But the world remembered his kindness. The little bird he had helped landed on his shoulder. From the water, the fish stuck up and glittered in the wave foam, and by the roadside, the old woman swung her staff.

"Your watch has become faithful to the wrong hand," said the old woman. "But true faithfulness recognizes true kindness. You need friends who can do what you cannot."

Then a sleek cat came padding – the same cat he had once freed – and a faithful dog, big as a small lion but with gentle eyes. The bird flapped its wings. "We'll help you," it chirped. "Tell us what to do."

Felix explained that the watch now lay hidden in the countess's chamber in the palace, guarded by locks, keys, and guards. "We'll take it back," growled the dog. "I can keep the guards busy." "And I can sneak where no one else fits," purred the cat. "I can fly to where the key hangs," said the bird and bobbed its head.

When night fell, the dog lay down to sleep right by the gate and soon began snoring so loudly that the guards laughed and came forward to tease him. Then the bird flew quietly through an open window, found the key ring hanging on a hook, and deliberately dropped it onto a rug. The cat sneaked forward, grabbed the right key in its mouth, and disappeared along a narrow ledge that ran under the ceiling. On the cat's light paws, the key came to the countess's door.

There were many locks, but the cat didn't give up. One, two, three – the last one clicked open. Inside, in a box lined with silk, lay the silver watch. The cat popped open the lid with a claw-like movement and whispered as best it could: "Tick-tock, little watch, help us now – follow your true friend."

The watch gleamed, almost as if it recognized an old heart. The cat carried it carefully between its teeth, the bird carried the key back, and the dog stopped snoring just in time for the guards to think the night had become too quiet and retake their positions. No one noticed anything.

When Felix got the watch back, he held it tightly and said quietly: "Tick-tock, little watch, help me now. Let the truth come forward, and let no one be harmed." The next morning, he stepped into the throne room. The countess, feeling a sudden worry, also appeared to see what would happen.

Felix opened the lid. A soft, clear strike echoed through the hall, like a friendly bell in fog. The walls lit up, and images of what actually happened floated in the air: the countess's whispers, her cold smile, the cat's courage, the dog's faithfulness, the bird's cleverness. No one could contradict what they themselves saw. The king rose, pale with upset, and Princess Florina ran to Felix and took his hands.

"Forgive me," said the king. "The truth was hidden from me, but no longer." The countess was banished from court, and the watch was returned to its true owner.

The garden sang again. Birds built new nests, the spring broke forth clearer than ever, and the trees bore fruits that were shared with the poor in the city. Felix and Florina ruled with justice, and the silver watch came to rest in a small compartment near Felix's heart. He used it only when need was truly great – and each time he began by asking himself if what he wished was true, good, and just.

And if you wander past a garden where the air feels as new as a first day, you may hear something far away: a quiet tick-tock, that reminds you that kindness never goes astray.