The Thief Of Seconds

Elias Thorne was taken into custody at precisely 4:02 PM on a Tuesday not for committing an act of aggression, but rather for "Possession of Stolen Time. "  It turned out that the officers had located him within the public square of town; they reported that he had stood entirely motionless among the bustling crowd, while the world continued to move all around him, rushing off to meet various deadlines and responding to their digital alarms.  As they fastened the cold metal restraints around his wrists, Elias was not at all frightened by the prospect of incarceration; on the contrary, he appeared almost pleased.  "Time can't be possessed," one of the officers told him roughly as they led him towards the waiting squad car. "After all, time must always be expended. "  Elias chuckled, slowly but steadily. “Well, you see, there you have made an error, sir,” he replied. “Time wasn’t something I wasted. It’s something that stayed stationary for a moment.” Before the train arrived at the station, the proof had all disappeared. Time had evaporated into thin air, and all that remained was a newfound freshness in the police force and a carefree Elias with a small heart and an even smaller pocket. An hour later, he was set free because they lacked any proof against him, and everything around him was moving just a little bit slower.