People are struggling to solve this crossword clue: Preceder to long or now. Can you?

Once upon a time, there was a clock tower in the middle of a small village. Every day, the town’s residents lined up to check the time and set their watches accordingly. One day, the clock tower broke down, and the village elders were called to fix it.

As they inspected the inner workings of the clock, they noticed a small gear that needed to be replaced. However, the only replacement gear they had was slightly smaller than the original.

Not wanting to waste time, the elders decided to install the new gear and make do with the slight difference. But as soon as the clock started running again, everyone noticed a small change in the chime. It seemed to be ever so slightly different than it used to be.

After some investigation, they discovered that the new gear was causing the clock to chime a little earlier than it used to. Instead of “Long now,” it would chime “Ere now,” signaling that something was about to begin.

From that day on, whenever the village residents heard the clock chime “Ere,” they knew that they needed to be ready for something new and exciting to happen. And so, the word “ERE” became a symbol of anticipation and excitement for the village inhabitants.