Clarence had been a disappointment to his mother from the day he was born. He had been expected to be a she, to fulfil the prophecy of the seventh daughter to the seventh daughter.
Throughout his life, she had never forgiven him for spoiling her dreams. His sisters on the other hand, were delighted that they didn’t have a sister who would rule superior over them. He grew up, being showered with their love and also all the things they didn’t want to undertake themselves.
He was a good listener and would always be willing to give them advice when it was required. At the age of six, he would dress up by putting on an old curtain for a cloak before upturning a goldfish bowl to read their future. Not absolutely everything he told them came true, but he knew that it gave them hope.
It wasn’t long before word got round to their sisters’ friends about his gift, and they would make excuses to call at the house to talk to him. After dealing with all of his sisters many problems, he understood what people wished to hear.
As his reputation grew so did his aspirations. He started thinking that maybe he could give his mother her dream. He would become the world’s greatest wizard, with a little help from his sisters, of course. He needed them to teach him how to sew. His clothes became as flamboyant as his dreams.
The front parlour was changed into a ‘Life Coach’ surgery, in order to keep up with modern thinking, Clarence conducted his sessions still using his goldfish bowl as it only received one channel. It was not like the all singing and dancing crystal balls that invite all spirits in with their five pennyworths. Life was much simpler with fewer choices.
He finally felt ready to reveal to his mother what he had achieved. He ascended the stairs to her bedroom, where she had remained since giving birth to him. As soon as she saw him, she smiled and said ‘her name was to be Clara, so I changed it to Clarence, you have done her legacy proud, she pulled him towards her and kissed him.’
