For nine years, Elias Penn set his pocket watch by the sparrow. At eleven o'clock sharp the little brown bird dropped onto the third spoke of the fountain, cocked its head, and stayed exactly forty seconds. But this Tuesday the square was nearly empty when it should have been full of people and pigeons. Elias stood by the fountain, watch open in his hand, and waited. Eleven o'clock came. The sparrow did not.

Elias forgot about the empty square. He only cared about the sparrow. In nine years it had never missed a day. He climbed onto the fountain's edge and peered at the third spoke, looking for any sign of the little bird.

Elias spotted the sparrow at last, hopping on the cobblestones near the dry edge of the fountain. It wasn't on its spoke because the water had been shut off. The little bird kept pecking at the empty basin, confused, looking for its morning drink.

Elias found the rusty valve behind the fountain and gave it a hard twist. After a groan, water bubbled up and filled the basin again. The sparrow flew straight to its spoke, dipped its beak, and drank. Elias checked his watch and laughed. 'Late today. But you made it.'