Gartner's "Age of Chimes" finds beauty in the simplest of places. True companionship, the soul enriching kind, has the duality of envigorating you, and yet deapening as it progresses. This wonderful parable... I almost said fairy tale... exemplifies it perfectly. Well crafted and well done.

“Age of Chimes” is a brilliant metaphor for time. It’s reminiscent of John Donne’s and Ernest Hemingway's same-titled “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and now Elana Gartner’s “Age of Chimes,” all illustrating how time keeps us connected. In this case, in memory of becoming from someone who has lived it. The imagery is remarkable and chimes have a role in these two characters’ lives that will deepen as the chimes toll. Elana Gartner wrote an immensely stimulating and lovely story.

I take many things from Age of Chimes. Among them is the notion that time passes quickly and we can't go back. Two, that while we start out wanting one thing from a relationship, that want can change into looking for something we need. Age of Chimes features great dialog as well as a satisfying, if melancholy ending. But you'll recognize it, because we've all been there. One of the best lines: "Says the man in the kimono."