The clock that had stopped

Text C: an original fiction extract.

Before visiting his grandfather, Ned took the old kitchen clock to a repair shop. It had stopped in February, and every visit since then had included the same view of its hands: twenty past four, regardless of the hour outside. His grandfather had said he would deal with it eventually. Ned decided that eventually had waited long enough. He collected it while his grandfather was away for a weekend and imagined returning it as a useful surprise.

The repairer rang on Thursday. The clock was running again. Ned paid from the money he had saved for a new pair of headphones, feeling pleased that he had chosen something less selfish. At home, he tied a ribbon around the case. Beside it, the repair receipt looked satisfyingly definite: a problem, a price and a completed job.

His grandfather was making tea when he arrived. Ned put the clock on the table and removed the ribbon. The old man looked at the moving hands, then at the bow lying beside the kettle. He said thank you. The words were correct, but they did not have the delighted shape Ned had prepared to hear.

Ned explained what the repairer had done. His grandfather listened while the clock marked every pause. When Ned lifted it towards its old hook, the old man asked him to leave it on the table for a moment. He went to the sitting room and returned with a small, silent clock which Ned had not noticed before. It had stood beside the kettle for several weeks, behind the jar of spoons.

The old kitchen clock had not failed on its own. His grandfather had stopped it after Ned's grandmother died. For years she had complained about its loud tick, then defended it whenever he suggested replacing it. After February, the sound had begun filling the house in a way he could not bear. He had meant to explain when Ned asked, but Ned had never quite asked. He had said, “Still not working?” and accepted the nod as a complete answer.

Ned offered to undo the surprise by taking the clock away again. His grandfather shook his head. The repair itself was not the problem. He might want it running again one day; he simply did not want that day chosen for him. Ned began mentioning the cost, then heard how it made his grandfather responsible for enjoying something he had not requested.

They put the clock in the sitting room while they drank tea. Its tick reached the kitchen faintly through the open door. His grandfather did not ask him to close it. They talked about the bus route and a neighbour's new dog before Ned said he was sorry for deciding what the silence meant.

Before leaving, Ned asked where the clock should stay. His grandfather chose the shelf in the sitting room for now, with the mechanism stopped. Ned followed his instructions. At home, he found the ribbon in his pocket. He had kept the receipt too, but did not send a photograph of it to his mother as he had planned. A completed job on paper was not the whole account of the visit.

You are Ned. That evening, write a letter to your grandfather about the visit and the clock.

In your response:

• explain your intentions and what you expected from the surprise
• describe what you understood during the visit and how it changed your view
• explain what you regret and how you would like to offer support in future

Base your response on Text C, developing its ideas in your own words. Write about 250 to 300 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 10 marks for writing.