The Boy and the Broken Clock Sam lived in an old house with a grandfather clock that never worked. Every Saturday, he would take it apart and try to fix it. His dad had left the clock behind when he moved out three years ago. "Why waste time on that old thing?" his uncle asked during Sunday dinner. "Just buy a new one." "Because it's not about telling time," Sam said, fingers covered in clock oil. His mom found him one night, surrounded by gears and springs. "Honey, sometimes broken things stay broken," she said gently. But Sam kept working. He studied clock repair books. He joined online forums. He ordered tiny parts from strange places. One day, his dad visited. He found Sam at the workbench, still trying. "I gave up on that clock years ago," his dad said. Sam looked up. "Maybe that's why I need to fix it." His dad sat down beside him. Together, they opened the clock's face. Inside, some gears had started moving again. "Sometimes," Sam said, "fixing things isn't about the clock at all.