[ WP ] You buy a clock and soon notice that it sometimes counts down to zero before resuming normal function . One day , you learn what it keeps counting down to .

*Tick, Tock* 
 *Tick* 
 
 My clock can be so annoying sometimes. It ’ s usually just fine. But sometimes, my life gets weirder. 
 Every now and then, my clock counts down. A month ago when it happened, I was having tea and cookies with my good friend Elyse. Elyse was a master programmer. 
 *Dong, dong* 
 *Whizzzzz! * 
 The clock spun backward three times until it faced the number five. 
 “ Oh, your clock winds itself? ” Elise asked me. “ How ’ d you make it do that? ” 
 “ I didn ’ t, ” I replied. 
 “ Well, it ’ s two, and I ought to get going. ” 
 Three days later, she died in a crash. I brought roses to the funeral. 
 
 Only a week ago, my neighbor Jared was helping me clean my house. 
 *Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong! * 
 *Whizz! * 
 That sound made me nervous. It made me even more afraid when the arrow only went backwards to one, with no excess spinning. 
 “ Oh, Eleven o ’ clock. ” I heard Jared say. “ Time to make lunch. 
 His house burned down. 
 Now, tonight, I have locked myself in my house. Not another soul is with me. I woke up in the middle of the night to hear a dreaded sound. 
 *Dong* 
 *Whiz! * 
 I got up and looked at it. It rolled over to twelve. I looked at it closer. No, not twelve. One minute. 
 I suddenly was seized with pain and a lack of oxygen. I crumpled to the ground, just able to think, *Ohhhhhh, that ’ s what it counts to, * before my soul left me. 

