Clifford's Spiral: Chapter 17

Chapters are serialized here for paid subscribers.About This Novel

In Clifford's Spiral, the stroke survivor’s past is blurry, and his memories are in pieces. He asks himself:

Who was Clifford Olmstead Klovis?

Stroke sufferer Clifford Klovis tries to piece together the colorful fragments of his memories. Hints of a past life?

Chapter 17

The year was either 1990 or 1991. Clifford couldn’t quite remember. He stood in the gift shop of the RMS Queen Mary fingering trinkets aimlessly as Eleanor shopped. They didn’t have any grandchildren, but the progeny of their nieces and nephews was numerous. Eleanor kept meticulous track of their birthdays, impending graduations, and even sporting achievements. Although in Clifford’s opinion any kid would prefer a check or a gift certificate, Eleanor insisted that the obligatory monetary gift be accompanied by a suitable greeting card along with something, however small, “to remember us by.”

The bins on the table in front of Clifford held keychains and fobs, pencil sharpeners, paperweights, drink coasters, and miniature replicas of the gray-lady steamship. The souvenirs were festooned with images of the ship, some with its royal insignia, along with the Union Jack. Some items also bore the Stars and Stripes with the label Long Beach, California in recognition of the decommissioned vessel’s current mooring place.

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