Once upon a time, such a long time ago and so far back that no one can really remember there was a small black marble. That part I know to be true. This small black marble was the only thing that existed. Well, maybe not the only thing. There was something else. There was a silver pocketwatch. And they both existed in a very barren land.

The sun rose, the sun set and the black marble sat in the west in a small pile of soft sand. Off in the east somewhere sat the silver pocketwatch.

One day the sun rose and the sun set and the marble tired of it. And on that day that the sun rose and set the silver pocketwatch decided it was tired of it, too.

The marble was rolling along one day when it ran into the pocketwatch.

"Hello," said the marble happily.

"Hello," remarked the watch placidly, "Where have you come from?"

"The west. And you?"

"The east," the watch answered. The pocketwatch looked at the marble in front of him. The watch saw nothing special about the thing there. "I thought I was the only thing here," humphed the watch.

"Really? i had thought the same," retorted the marble.

"It is wonderful to know that there is something else around."

The marble hesitated, "Yes."

"Do you consider yourself good conversation?" asked the watch hopefully.

"Well, i should hope--I've never really had anyone to talk to--i guess I'm not sure."

The watch sighed, thinking the marble to be hopeless.

"What did you mean?" asked the marble curiously.

"By what?"

"By something to talk to What did you mean by something ?"

"Just what I said. Something else here."

"But something ?"

"Well," the watch began matter-of-factly, "I say that because I do not see of what use you are."

"Use? What do you mean?" questioned the marble slightly hurt.

"You know, use. What you're for. What you do."

"i--i am but a simple black marble. What should i do? i guess i don't do anything."

The marble thought a moment then rolled a small circle around the watch, sizing it up. Studying it.

"What on earth are you doing?"

The marble didn't answer at first. It just continued around the watch. Looking it over, trying to see something special about it. True, the three small hands in front moved, but other than that the watch seemed plain as well.

"I demand you tell me what you're doing," the watch scowled.

The marble returned to it's original position before answering calmly, "Well, nothing really. i was just wondering what your use was."

The watch scoffed harshly, "You do not know? I keep time. I know the sun rises in the 7th hour and sets in the 18th hour. I know that right now it is the 12th hour going on the 13th hour. I know that we have been here for one half of one hour."

"You can keep track of all that?" The marble whispered with child-like wonder.

"Yes," gloated the watch. "Seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, millenniums. I keep order to all things east and west, north and south. I am a timekeeper."

"And i am but a simple black marble..."

"Hmm, I guess you are. Where does that leave me for conversation?"

The simple black marble began rolling back the way it had come, silent and unsuggesting. The watch, taking note that it's new found 'friend' was, indeed, leaving took a few steps after it.

"Where--where are you going?"

"West, again. i am no use. i will just go back; watch the sun. It was wonderful meeting you, though."

"Why?" rushed the watch, "Why are you leaving? We have just met. I will have no one to talk to."

The marble hesitated a moment in it's mild return to the west, "What is there to you?" it asked suddenly.

"What do you mean? I told you--"

"Yes," the marble interrupted, "yes, i know what you have told me." The marble rolled closer to the gleaming watch sitting in it's pile of white sand. "i know you are a time keeper, but how? All you seem to be is a closed, round, silver box. How do you keep time as you do?"

The watch laughed gleefully, "Oh my, my simple black marble. My friend. I am much more than a 'closed, round, silver box.'."

The watch lowered to an almost whisper as if the following was to be heard only by the marble itself.

"I have gears and springs, moving parts and power. I am a magnificent creation. Whatever created me should be adored for I am amazing"

"But how?" The marble made it's slow, steady circles around the watch again.

"I said, gears and springs and parts with power."

"Where? Where are all those. I do not see them. How do you hide them?"

The watch began earnestly, "I do not hide them--"

"Then why do i not see them? Where are all these marvelous parts?"

"Inside my flawless covering."

"Inside!" the marble exclaimed, jumping back a few feet. "How can you have all those parts inside? How did they get there?" amazed the marble.

"I already explained to you--"

"Are you sure," burst the marble once again in uncontainable wonder.

"Sure? Yes, I am quite sure. I couldn't run without them."

"But how?" the marble paused, then continued very seriously. "How do you know they are there? Have you ever seen them?"

"Well, no, but--I know they are there. It's hard to explain but I know that the parts are there. I just know they are."

"How can you be so sure? Can you prove it?"

The watch stood at attention, questioning the marble's very integrity with but a single, solid, look.

The marble began to speak very slowly and coolly, "How do you know the parts are even in there?"

"They are!" The watch was now furious over the marble's stupid insistence.

The marble again began rolling back the direction from which it came.

The watch demanded, "Where are you going now?"

"I'm going back!" screamed the marble, a terrible roar in the soft desert. The marble stopped, realizing what it had said. They hung for a moment in bitter silence while the marble calmed, "i'm sorry. Please, forgive my words of anger."

The simple black marble continued to go toward the far west.

"Don't go!" the watch commanded.

"Why not!? Why?!" the marble stormed back to the watch still yelling, "Because then you won't have anyone to talk to? You won't have anything to do? Well, I'm sorry!" And with that the marble went, again, westward.

"It is the 16th hour going on the 17th." the watch pleaded softly, "Please, at least stay this night. The darkness is short and upon the morning you can go. I ask you only once."

The marble stopped moving. All the universe seemed to stop along with the marble. The only sound to be heard was the 'tick tick' of the watch's silver second hand. The sound absorbed by the very sand they sat in.

"Prove it."

Those were the only words the marble uttered. Silently, they sat staring defiantly at each other. The watch looked on helplessly, the price of an overindulged ego hung overhead. The watch ticked off seconds, minutes while contemplating any unforeseen repercussions. Time dripped by as the two of them sat in the soft cool sand. It was the 17th hour and the sun was setting lower and lower.

"I don't know what will happen."

"What do you mean?" snapped the marbly spitefully.

"I don't know. I've never--I don't know what will happen to me."

They both sat again in an even deader silence.

The watch began thinking, Why should I not? What is there to worry for? This simple black fiend is not to have the better of me. Not yet at least.

And with that last thought the watch threw open it's shiny back cover.

The marble gasped in absolute amazement. Never before had the simple sphere seen something so magnificent. All the small intricate gears, all the springs and wires, all the wonderful amazing parts moving and ticking together in harmonious delight.

The critical silence flooded with the sound of the watch's marvelous internal systems now laying open; exposed.

A small, soft, breeze, that neither had noticed before, blew over desert land.

The marble stood amazed, gaping at the watch's triumph before him.

The watch laughed loudly, "See!" The watch exclaimed nervously, "See, I told you they were there. Look . Behold!" The watch's booming echoed in the vast emptiness.

A mild winnow was blowing east, caring a few grains of the sweet sand with it. The watch continued laughing toward the awestruck marble. As the gentle wind blew, some of those grains got into the watch's internal mechanism.

The watch stopped laughing.

Sand ground down inside all the small gears and springs and wires. It was the 17th hour. The watch's delicate systems slowed.

"What is happening?" panicked the watch.

"What?" worried the marble coldly. The marble had not noticed the breeze.

"i don't know. I think I might--"

The watch winced as the large coil, now exposed to the world, sprung. The gears inside scraped. All the intricate details of the wonderful mechanism slowed and slipped out of place as the watch screamed in it's ever-deafening silence. The marble looked on in utter amazement as the masterful watch slowly succambe to the soft silence of the endless vast desert.

Fallen godhood.

As it sat before the marble the watch grieved incessantly over it's terrible loss.

"I knew--I knew it was to happen."

"Is there anything i can do?"

The watch didn't answer. It's words were lost in the crisp air. The watch faltered in it's balance and stumbled backward into the sand.

"It is the 18th hour."

"You will not make it through this darkness," the marble noted with horrible realization.

After a pulled moment of existential silence the watch began to laugh. Weakly, only because the gears were grinding and the watch had little life left, but still, he laughed. Pouring it's final soul into a fit of manic hysteria, the watch began, "See, I told you."

"What do you mean?" gasped the terrified marble.

"I am the marvelous creation. I am the masterpiece of wonderful parts and gears and springs," he grimaced but continued on, "And you," The vile sarcasm fell in frozen c lumps off his words, "You are but a simple black marble without the intelligence to realize it."

The sun gleamed as it began to set.

The watch continued it's cruel assault, "Built i proved you wrong. I showed you that. If the world could only see that I am the marvelous creation and you---you are but a Simple Black Marble."

And with this final thought the watch smiled horribly knowing the battle was over and he had emerged victorious. The watch stared at the marble which, from where it sat, blocked the ominous glory of the setting sun.

The marble weeped over the loss of it's 'friend', "I am sorry--I am but a simple black marble. I had never meant--" The marble's words were lost in a torrent of sobs.

The crisp iridescent light, streamed through the marbles purity.

But as the watch looked on he thought he saw something.

"I'm sorry," The marble pitifully apologized again and again but the watch did not hear and had not the will left to speak.

The watch squinted at the distraught marble looking deep into it's very soul.

The beautiful swirling.

The shining grey nebulas.

The crimson clouds.

The stars. Oh, the stars of every colour and shade.

The wonderful feeling.

The dimming sunlight magnified a thousand times inside.

And it was everything.

As the watch drew it's final breath a single cold tear fell to the sand.

He knew he saw.