User:CarrieBerg/My Great-Grandfather's Watch

Even the most mundane items can have extraordinary stories behind them. Such as this pocket watch. I’m going to tell you the story of how my family came to own this watch.

While I do not claim that this story is entirely true, here it is, as told to me by my father, who heard it from his father, who was first told the tale by his father.

Like all good stories this one starts long ago and far away.

My great-grandfather was from the island of Gotland, off the coast of Sweden. He came from a what you would consider a peasant family. They tended the horses and gardens for the Swedish Royal family. Now, gardeners are very far beneath royalty. It is doubtful my great-grandfather ever saw any royalty the entire time he lived there. But what he did see was a lot of hard work, for not a lot of money. And so he decided to try his luck in America.

Even the island of Gotland had heard of the wealth of America. Now, my great-grandfather was a very pragmatic man. He wasn't rushing off to find gold in the streets. He knew that in America, the work would be just as hard, but, there was that chance, that maybe, just maybe, you could make a fortune through hard work. And so he took that chance.

But after coming to America, he found that there was little need for a gardener, much less a stable-hand. It was true, the work was just as hard, but sadly, the pay was little better than before. He worked several jobs, one as a mechanic, and then, as a janitor at a bank.

Now, my great-grandfather knew the virtues of working hard. So he did not shy away from working the night-shift as a janitor at a bank. One night, while cleaning up near one of the desks, he found a bag of money someone had forgot to put away.

He didn't touch it at first. He was certain that someone would remember and come back for it. So he continued his rounds. But no one came. Finally, when his shift ended, he took the bag home. Surely it was safer to take it with him than to leave it unwatched.

The next day, he went to work before his shift started. He returned the bag of money and then went back to work. The manager had been wondering where the bag had gone. He didn't give my great-grandfather much notice at first. His first priority was to see if all the money was there. It was. The manage was impressed.

So a week later he decided to test my great-grandfather again. This time he left out a very nice watch. Again, as my great-grandfather cleaned the building, he found the watch. Believing it to be of value, he took it home.

The next day he went in to work early and returned the watch. The manager was delighted! He told my great-grandfather, "You're just the man I'm looking for."

You see, the bank manager had been looking for a trustworthy man he could employ as his chauffeur. When my great-grandfather returned the watch, he had proven himself worthy. He was hired as a chauffeur, and for a year he drove the manager around.

After a little over a year had gone by, the manager passed away. In his will, he gave the watch to my great-grandfather, as a reward for his honesty.

And that is the story of how my family came to own this pocket watch.

It is a story passed down to extol the virtues of honesty. But that is not all it represents.

The story of the watch also has a hidden meaning for my family; for only those who take the time to listen to the story are allowed to own the watch. This is how my father, the youngest son, came to own it. He took the time to listen to the story. And that is why the watch was passed on to me.

.:.:.:.:.:.

The watch is real. It is lovely, and being fully mechanical, it still works once wound. The story, for the most part, is true. I might have fleshed out some bits glossed over by the family, but the only part I fabricated was the second test - for everyone knows that in tales, there is never just one test. I'm sure someday the story will be told again, and perhaps more will be added. With oral tales, you never know how they will change with the next telling...