(The opening sentence for this story was suggested by Nitin at Fighting the Dying Light. If you want to join in the fun of suggesting a future opening sentence for these stories, click here for a peek as to what’s what.)
When he looked at the clown in his greens and reds, his raging coulrophilia kicked in. Lancelot Grope couldn’t help it. He was only too pleased that he himself was wearing baggy clown’s trousers.
Lancelot’s coulrophilia had made his teenage years almost unbearable. The trouble had been that his mother had been obsessed with a relatively muscular trapeze artist named Standish Nikolayevich, and Lancelot was dragged from one circus performance to another. It was okay for his sister to admit that she was obsessed with circus horses (and for his mother to be obsessed with Standish Nikolayevich) but to admit to coulrophilia was another thing altogether. Things came to a head when Cocoa Craven Hook, one of Lancelot’s favourite clowns, took Lancelot out the back.
Cocoa Craven Hook was wearing his greens and reds and looked amazing.
“Judging from looking at your trousers,” said Cocoa, “you seem to be pretty enthusiastic about clowning. Can I show you a thing or two? Let me pull a surprise out of my pocket.”
Suddenly a bunch of flowers appeared from nowhere. One of the flowers squirted water in Lancelot’s face. Lancelot laughed.
“I’ll show you how it’s done,” said Cocoa kindly. “First let me put these flowers in your pocket.”
Lancelot was hooked. He’d never experienced anything quite so exciting. There was no going back. He would be a coulrophiliac for life. Coulrophilia would be his life’s calling. He would use it to cure those who suffered from coulrophobia. And indeed he did.
Today, especially in Hollywood, there’s many a former coulrophobiac who is now a practising coulrophiliac. They’re in the News, and some of them even made it to the circus.
It’s good when one finally finds his life’s calling. Nothing like fulfilling your purpose. I laughed out loud Bruce. Fantastic story.
Thanks for the kind comment, Nitin. And for the opening sentence. I learn new things every day! I kind of liked his sister’s obsession with circus horses, but that’s another story perhaps!
The grope thing in the title made me a tad nervous, but I guess it’s all right anyway. The story says a lot about obsessions, and circuses and Hollywood and many things in between.
Gropers always make me a tad nervous too. Almost as bad as patters – those who pat on the knee. It gives me the chills!
I couldn’t have agreed more.
Nitin may have laughed, but I felt great relief. You didn’t go where I thought you would….
I think a coulrophiliac with a shoe fetish might one day make it into a story.
😀 Very large shoes.