Answering the Call

It was an easy walk out of her front door to her flowerbed. Some may think of it as a mundane task to water the flowers every morning, but Clarice took delight in it.

She took a moment to breathe in the salty air from the ocean. The perfect way to greet the day. Some had told her that she would grow tired of living by the sea, but she knew better. The sea had bewitched her, and she was now under its powerful spell.

Her mom had desired for her to be under the spell of love for Phillip, but Clarice had no interest in men. She was content to simply live alone by the sea.

Phillip was never interested in her anyway. Clarice tended to intimidate people, especially men.

This bothered her mom so much. She had always believed her daughter to be practically perfect in every way. Why couldn’t others see it?

It wasn’t Clarice’s fault that magical things happened when she was around. It mystified her at first, too. She really was a charming young lady with a caring heart, but people were wary of her.

That’s why she moved to the sea, taking her parrot with her. The sea had a magic all of its own, and Clarice felt at peace there.

Time passed by, and Clarice was content. Her mom gradually came to an acceptance of her moving away and did enjoy visiting her and their walks by the sea.

Clarice would shake her head and smile at her mom, still reminding her to wear a jacket, to not catch cold, and to always carry her black umbrella with her. Things she had told her all through her childhood.

It didn’t look like Clarice would ever leave her simple home by the aquamarine sea. But one day, everything began to change.

She had come back from her bi-monthly trip into town to get groceries. After putting the groceries away and her mail on the table, she made herself a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of creamy tomato soup.

When her food was ready, she poured herself a cup of tea and added a teaspoon of sugar to it. The tea would often help her morning medicine go down easier.

Looking through her mail, a rose colored envelope stood out to her.

“I wonder what this could be?” She said to no one in particular, being that she lived by herself, except for her parrot. He could be annoying as he often liked to speak his mind, but he did keep her company.

Picking up the rose colored envelope, she opened it and pulled out the letter within.

This was most odd. It wasn’t a personal letter. It was a child’s handwriting, but it read like an advertisement for a newspaper.

It intrigued Clarice, and once again, she started talking to herself. Her parrot kept interjecting his thoughts, but she ignored him.

Clarice walked by the ocean late at night, unable to sleep. Why did the strange letter intrigue her so much? She felt drawn to it in a way that she couldn’t explain. As if this marked a time of change for her. That the decision she made about the letter would define her life.

Finally, she made her decision. Perhaps this was her calling. Children did like magic, so maybe they wouldn’t think her strange.

With excitement building, she packed up and said goodbye to the sea. Looking out over the sea, she had a moment of doubt creep into her heart. Holding her umbrella in one hand and her purse in the other, she spoke out loud.

“How can I leave the magical sea, maybe I should stay?”

“Oh, stop that nonsense talk. The children need you.” Her parrot told her.

Taking a deep breath, she told herself that was true and Mary Clarice Poppins opened her umbrella as she rose up high into the air.