Show notes
Tonight we visit Bell Street, in the older part of a small town, where Edmund Halloran has spent fifty-one years at the same bench, mending pocket watches. His shop has no name on the window, only a small hand-lettered card that reads, Mender of Small Hours.His customers are mostly old, and they come slowly. They bring him watches their fathers carried, and watches their uncles brought back from the war, and watches that have been silent in a drawer for so long that the owner has half-forgotten whose they were. He does not hurry them. He listens, very quietly, and then he lifts each watch into the lamp light, and begins.Tonight we also meet Nora, whose husband carried his pocket watch through the war and through forty years of a quiet marriage. The watch stopped on a spring evening nine years ago. Edmund opened it, replaced the cracked glass, oiled the works, and listened. It began again, very softly. It kept good time for eight years. This spring, it stopped for good.A gentle bedtime story for grown-ups, told slowly in the voice of Sebastian Cross. No music, no sound effects — only a quiet narration of one man's careful, unhurried work, and the small rituals that have kept him steady for half a century.Chapters:00:00 — The Shop on Bell Street02:00 — Edmund's Bench and His Tools04:30 — The Customers Who Come Slowly07:00 — Nora's Watch09:30 — The Quiet Closing of the DayIf this story helped you drift toward sleep, you may also enjoy The Violin Maker on Lantern Lane, The Ferryman Who Counted Stars, and the other tales in the Short Stories for Slumber collection. Rest well, and dream kindly tonight.---This episode was created with AI assistance. The script was shaped to feel unhurried, the voice tuned for the slowest part of falling asleep.DISCLAIMER 📢Bedtime Sleep Stories For Grownups is an independent production by HustleStudios. The stories and topics discussed are for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect HustleStudios or its affiliates.Some names and details may be altered to protect privacy. Listener discretion advised. All content protected under copyright law.This episode might be ad-supported. Support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, early access, and exclusive promos.👉 Check our Patreon👉 Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts📻 Listen to Hustle Studios Radio 24/7!🎧 radio.hustlestudios.net/live🔊 All our podcasts — playing back to back, anytime!