The Cuckoo Clock

We used to visit my father's aunt and uncle, Clyde and Vern, in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were very much the quintessential loving couple, two peas in a pod. When we were children, they gave my father a very old German cuckoo. Although it became a bit annoying to hear the old cuckoo clock "cuckooing" every hour on the hour, we eventually got used to it.

One evening as we all sat down to have dinner promptly at five o'clock, my father noticed that the cuckoo didn't come out of the clock to announce it was dinner time. The clock had never malfunctioned before. As soon as my dad said he would look at it, the phone rang. It was a family member informing Dad that Uncle Clyde had passed away. We all thought it was odd that the clock had stopped and he had passed away on the same day, but no one really said anything. Dad said he would fix the clock, and within a week or so, he did.

Life in our household went on as usual. About a year later when we sat down at dinner, my mother remarked that the cuckoo clock had stopped again. No sooner had she said it than the phone rang. We all looked at each other. Dad reluctantly answered the phone. Sure enough, it was a family member calling to say Aunt Vern had passed away. I think we already knew that.

From that day on, the cuckoo clock did not function, although my dad tried to fix it many times. It stayed on the wall in honor of Clyde and Vern until my father eventually stored it. When he passed away, we found the box with the cuckoo clock inside. My older brother Donnie and I just looked at each other. Our little brother Jeff took the clock to keep it in the family, but chances are it will remain in the box-and we're all okay with that.

~Lacy Gray

Published in Chicken Soup for the Soul Miracles & Divine Intervention