Section 1
It was held that the one who would manage doing the most incredible thing would earn the princess’s hand and half of her father’s kingdom. All the men, young and old, exerted their mental, physical and vital prowess to the fullest. For the sake of doing the most incredible thing and per their taste two of the men overindulged in food until they died, another one overdrank to death. Yet, all of these were not the needed paths to follow. For the most incredible thing the juveniles in the streets ejected spittle on their own backs.
An exhibition was settled on a special day to display the examples of the most incredible. A jury was allotted and three-year-old kids up to people in their sixties were in it. Thousands of incredible things were exhibited, yet all commonly favored the giant clock in a case stunningly decorated in and out. At every hour stroke lively figures appeared from inside showing the time of the day. The movement of all the twelve representations was followed by melodies and talks. Everyone agreed that the clock was the most incredible thing.
When the clock hit one, Moses appeared on the mountaintop writing the first commandment on the tables of the law: “There is only one true God”. At the hit of two, joyful Adam and Eve were seen in the garden of Eden with no garments and clothes on their bodies. The clock struck three, and the three Magi from the Orient came out, and a colored man was among them with a skin darkened from the burning sun. They had the spiritual gifts with them. The clock struck four and the four seasons were seen: a budding beach-bough hold a cuckoo for spring, a stalk of ripe corn had a grasshopper for summer, in a stork’s nest birds had flown away for autumn, and the chimney-corner had a crow telling stories, old memories for winter. On the stroke of five, the five senses put on their show: a spectaclemaker for sight, a coppersmith for hearing, violets and woodruff were sold for smell, cook was for taste, and an undertaker decked with crape reaching his heels was for feeling. On the stroke of six, a gambler threw his dice and six was seen on the highest side turned upwards. When the clock struck seven, people saw either the seven days of the week or the seven deadly sins, for they were not distinguishable and belonged to each other. The eight o’clock service was sung by the choir of monks. Then the stroke of nine brought the nine muses; astronomy, historical archives and for the rest theatre as their occupations. The clock struck ten, and Moses put on view the tables of the law with all God’s commandments that were ten in total. The clock struck eleven to bring young boys and girls jumping around. "Two and two and seven, the clock has struck eleven," were the words sang in their game. On the stroke of twelve the old watch verse "Twas at the midnight hour Our Saviour He was born," the old watchman chanted with a fur cap and halberd. During his song, rainbow-coloured wings carried angel-beads that sprouted from roses. All the aural and visual ambience was delightful and pretty. Everyone agreed it to be an unrivalled artwork and the most incredible thing.
