The snail sat hunched over his laptop, surrounded by stacks of papers and empty coffee mugs. His eyes flicked to the clock, and panic surged through him. "Has an hour already gone by?" he muttered to himself, feeling the pressure of the ticking deadline. Rushing to plug in his charger, he resumed his frantic typing.
The minutes turned into hours, but the snail barely noticed. He moved to the kitchen for a glass of water, his movements automatic and mechanical. The clock’s hands sprinted ahead, yet he was too consumed by his project to notice the passage of time. "Time flies," he murmured absentmindedly, his fingers tapping furiously on the keyboard.
The doorbell chimed, snapping the snail from his concentrated haze. He opened the door to the delivery person, realizing he hadn’t eaten all day. As he quickly scarfed down a salad, he glanced at the clock: 3 PM. The hours were slipping through his fingers, and he returned to his desk, driven by an urgent need to complete his work.
His wife entered the home quietly, her presence unnoticed by the snail, who was absorbed in his screen. She called from the kitchen, "Sweetheart, aren’t you coming to dinner?" He replied distractedly, "What time is it?" Her answer was a revelation: "It’s ten o’clock. It’s late." With a frustrated sigh, he closed his laptop.
Months passed, each one marked by the snail’s increasing obsession with his project. By November, his world had narrowed to the confines of his desk, and his wife’s patience had worn thin. She stood before him, weary and resolute, "You’re never here for me," she declared before turning away, leaving him alone with the silence of his failure.
The day of the deadline arrived, and the snail faced the reality of his uncompleted project. In the solitude of his office, he confronted the emptiness of his sacrifices. Tears fell as he realized the depth of his mistakes—not just in his work but in his life. Unexpectedly, a knock sounded at the door. Opening it, he found his wife standing there, her eyes soft with understanding. "I’m so sorry," he whispered, enveloping her in a heartfelt embrace. Together, they began a new journey, one where time was measured by moments of love and connection.
