A short story by Harlan Ellison which describes a future society where control is kept by the rigid enforcement of a Draconian time management system. Lateness is punished by taking the time lost off the offender's lifespan. The Tick-Tock Man is the despotic ruler of this society; the Harlequin is a nonconformist rebel who sows confusion through a series of spectacular pranks designed to throw everyone off the fanatically-maintained schedule.