Time stands still - almost

Panic in St Fraimbault. The church rang the usual angelus at midday …and then bizarrely the bells started chiming forth once more at 1 o’clock. Usually it would just be the single chime for one o’clock. But no, the bells rang and rang. The population looked confused. A marriage? A christening? On 6th January? Unlikely…Maybe a death? No – no-one had received the black outlined papillons (death notices) through their door….Perhaps a link with the epiphany? But no- everyone knows the religious offices too well. So what was it? The crowds gathered and looked in awe at the church clock. Standing tall and proud in the middle of the village the church clock and bell tower showed the true reason. It was not showing 1 heure, but rather midi. The big hand and the little hand linked together as if in holy matrimony – and thus St Fraimbault had 2 middays. And then time carried on as normal. How lucky are we? The streets have been alive with talk of what went wrong …will YOU remember what you were doing the day St Fraimbault stepped out of time with the rest of France?