Welcome to this week’s flash fiction inspired by the prompt over at Carrot Ranch: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about Clarice. She can be any Clarice, real, historical, or imagined.

Following the story is some background about the Clarice I chose as the subject. Enjoy!

The Invitation

Clarice ran her fingers over the paper’s guilded edge, eyeing the words written in fine calligraphy: You are cordially invited to the Clarice Cliff Design Exhibition.

The exhibition, the first showcasing her work that spanned decades, would be the pinnacle of her career, according to the newspaper. Her designs had made a lasting impact on the art world.

Gazing at the delicate script, Clarice positioned the invitation over the candle on the end table. As the flame reached her fingers, she dropped it into a ceramic bowl, one displaying her favorite crocus design.

The pinnacle would proceed without her.

This story is inspired by the life of Clarice Cliff, a British pottery designer. By the time her work was formally displayed, she’d already created countless designs and employed hundreds of people, mostly women. However, after the death of her husband in 1963, she became a recluse and didn’t attend the event held in her honor.

Read more about her here.

Credit: JCharig via Wikipedia