With stuffed longs and his head held high, Lexi let off some steam after his intensive dance. “It’s late, isn’t it?”

Lexi had always been jovial, full of cheerfulness and with a sweet character. He cared about the people around him and went out of his way to make it as pleasant as possible for everyone. One night he ran into someone. A strange figure that asked for his help. He became nervous and felt his heart beating like a clockwork.

The figure turned out to be an old man with a dirty gray beard. When looking closely, Lexi could swear he saw leftover food in it. Quite frankly, he looked more like a wanderer than anything else. But, Lexi was good at heart and decided to listen to the wanderer’s story. “If the hands never contradict each other and the clock rings to infinity, I will help you develop your existence.” The man said, while suddenly grabbing Lexi’s hand firmly. Lexi became anxious and ran away as fast as he could. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with the situation.

While walking quickly, Lexi repeated what the wanderer had said to him. “If the hands never contradict each other and, uh, the bell rings to something else.” Lexi sighed. “Whatever.”

A few days passed. Lexi had stopped thinking about what the man had said. He had started partying again, as usual, and stood on the dance floor every night. Nothing could stop him. At one point, when Lexi took a break and pulled the nearest chair towards him, he could swear he saw the wanderer sitting opposite him. Lexi blinked a few times but couldn’t find the wanderer anywhere. “Weird.” Lexi said in an anxious voice.

As the hero he thought of himself, Lexi picked himself up and strode towards the dance floor.  Something changed once he got on the dance floor. The room went black. The candles that had burned and heated the room up until then fell away. The warm blanket of light had disappeared, and a chill had ran through Lexi. “If the hands never contradict each other and the clock rings to infinity, I will help you develop your existence.” The wanderer said. He looked better than the last time Lexi saw him. His dirty gray beard full of leftover food had turned into a long goatee. The wanderer had long hair and was dressed in a navy-blue robe. This time the wanderer spoke in a confident and soothing voice. “Lexi, you may not understand what I have told you so far, but there will come a day when you do.” It remained silent for a moment, the wanderer stuttered when he continued. “I.. I’ll place you with people who can teach you about life, you will see and hear things that I can’t show you here.” It again got silent. “Goodbye, my boy. You’ll be a great king someday, I’m sure of it.” The room went black and all the warmth Lexi felt an hour ago, had now evaporated into the cold room where he now stood.

“Everyone must make sacrifices for his or her realm. So does Lexi. I transformed him into a clock. Although he no longer looks like the handsome boy he was, he remains the same person on the inside. With the experience he gains among you, he will learn to be a great king. If the hands never contradict each other and the clock rings to infinity, Lexi will turn back into the prince he still is.”