Inktober Day 14: Clock

I was thinking about The Phantom Tollbooth while drawing this. So...

Milo startled, staring at the man with a clock's face in place of a person's. He didn't know where to look, but decided that staring at the man's tie was rude, but not offensive. The well-dressed figure leaned in towards Milo, arms clasped behind his back, and spoke in a voice sounding young and elderly all at once. "How terribly rude of me, to not introduce myself. I am the Timekeeper, my dear boy. When someone loses track of an hour, skips a day, or drops a second, it is my sacred duty to collect that time, and perhaps redistribute it. Have you ever needed an extra minute or two, only to finish before the deadline? I have more time than I could possibly use myself, so I'll occasionally pass some onto folks like you."

"My name is Milo. That sounds like terribly busy work," remarked Milo. His friends would often speak of losing hours to their games or books. "How ever do you manage?"

The Timekeeper chuckled, and offered a white-gloved hand towards the boy. Milo got the distinct impression he was smiling, or would be if he had a mouth. "Quite easily, I would say," the Timekeeper replied, "after all, I have plenty of time on my hands. Come, I will spend a few spare minutes to show you around."

Milo took the hand, and the clock-headed figure led him to a magnificent, enormous clock. Its face was easily ten- no, fifteen feet tall, and the ornate minute hand spun quickly, counting an hour in the span of half a minute. "Pardon me, mister Timekeeper, sir, but what is this place?" The two of them drew closer to a door at the base, and Milo had to crane his neck back to watch the giant, speeding hands.

"This, Milo, is the Ancestor Clock! It is where I reside and work. Now, do take care to enter with me, near when the Ancestor Clock strikes the hour. Otherwise, it can be quite dangerous while in motion." He tsk-tskd, but it sounded more like the ticking of a clock. "If you're not careful, you could be knocked into next week!"

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