The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything by John D. MacDonald
"The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything" is a narrative that follows Kirby Winter, a socially awkward young man who unexpectedly inherits a peculiar gold pocket watch from his late uncle, Omar Krepps. Although Uncle Omar was a reclusive philanthropist with a reputation for high finance and magic, he leaves Kirby no wealth, only the watch and a letter to be opened a year later. The watch possesses a unique ability: when the silver hand is pressed, time can be frozen for up to an hour, granting Kirby the ability to navigate a world where everything else is paused. As Kirby grapples with this newfound power, he finds himself pursued by a trio of eccentric characters: the alluring Charla, her sinister partner Joseph, and the aggressive Filiatra, who later adopts the name Betsy. While navigating these challenges, Kirby forms an alliance with Wilma, Uncle Omar's secretary, and Bonny, a spirited dancer. The story unfolds with comedic misadventures, ethical dilemmas, and the development of Kirby's character as he learns to wield the watch's power responsibly. Ultimately, he and Bonny seek a fresh start in Europe, having learned valuable lessons about morality and the consequences of one's choices.
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The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything
First published: 1962
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—Magical Realism
Time of work: The early 1960s
Locale: Miami, Florida
The Plot
When Omar Krepps suddenly dies, Kirby Winter, his nephew and only living relative, is thought to be the sole heir to a purportedly vast fortune. Uncle Omar, a reclusive philanthropist with a talent for both magic and high finance, in fact has left his nephew no money, only a very strange bequest: a gold pocket watch and a letter. Kirby is to receive the watch immediately; the letter is to be delivered to him in one year.
Kirby’s relationship with his uncle was cordial but not close. Although Uncle Omar financed Kirby’s college education, he also insisted on selecting his courses, emphasizing ethics and moral philosophy. Kirby is awkward and self-conscious, notably lacking in self-assurance. Both during and after college, he was employed by his uncle as a courier, charged with delivering large sums of money to charitable organizations throughout the world.
After Omar’s death, Kirby’s quiet routine is shattered by his pursuit by a trio of curious characters. There is the seductive Charla, to whose charms Kirby immediately succumbs; always nearby, however, is the sinister Joseph, Charlas consort, business partner, and general factotum. The aggressive Filiatra, Charlas niece, completes the trio. Filiatra, however, has broken with her aunt and changed her name to Betsy Alden. Betsy has a change of heart and is determined to help save Kirby. Kirby’s other allies include Wilma Farnham, Uncle Omar’s devoted secretary, and the vivacious Bonny Lee Beaumont, an honest and innocent but street-smart exotic dancer.
Charla and Joseph are determined to get Kirby aboard their yacht, the Glorianna, where, they are convinced, they can convince him by whatever means necessary to reveal Omar Krepps’s secrets. They want to discover not only the location of the fortune they believe Omar has hidden but also how he had managed, under baffling circumstances, to outwit them at every turn. When both Betsy and Wilma fall into Charlas hands, Kirby is left with the resourceful Bonny. To complicate matters, they have fallen in love.
At a public beach, the last place Charla and Joseph would look, Kirby and Bonny pause and assess their situation. Absentmindedly, Kirby examines his uncles gold watch. The otherwise conventional timepiece has an odd feature: In addition to the gold hour, minute, and second hands there is a fourth hand, a silver one, motionless and set at twelve oclock. It is then that Kirby makes a momentous discovery. By pressing the watch stem in, he can move the silver hand to a new position. When he does so, time stands still for the selected interval up to one hour. The entire world comes to a halt, although the person holding the watch can move about and alter the immediate area.
A series of comic misadventures follows Kirby’s discovery of the power of his uncles mysterious invention, as he comes to terms with the awesome moral responsibility granted to the one who possesses the watch. It was with this end in mind, the letter from his uncle states, that Kirby’s education was designed, emphasizing moral and ethical responsibility. The watch mitigates any need for deadly force against Charla and Joseph. A series of profoundly humiliating incidents offsets their desire for further pursuit, and Kirby and Bonny fly to Europe to begin a new life.