When the Clock Got Sick

　　Once upon a time, in a land not too far from where you live, there was a bank whose outside clock was the talk of the town（热门话题）. Clocks usually don't cause people to talk about them, unless they're not working right. This clock wasn't working right at all.

　　The clock was a digital clock, meaning that it was the kind of clock with large neon（霓虹灯） red numbers that glowed both day and night. You could read the clock from an entire block away.

　　The clock sat prominently a few yards above the main doors to a respected bank, right on the corner of a major intersection（交叉，十字路口） in town. In some ways, the clock represented the very center of town.

　　One day, a few months ago, the time on the clock started slipping backwards a few minutes. At first this didn't cause any alarm. After all, if you are two minutes late, or two minutes early to an appointment, is there any harm done?