One Beat per Second

I sat down on the lower wooden shelf of the side table. Beside me stood a small round desk clock with a heavy brass casing. Inside, a rhythmic mechanism worked in the dark. Tick. Tick. Tick. I rested my palm against the metal side. A faint, steady vibration pulsed against my hand at exact one-second intervals. The glass face caught a sliver of hallway light. Behind the glass, a slender black hand advanced with each beat, never skipping a mark. The room was dark and still. I leaned back against the table leg and kept my hand on the metal.