Having spent the morning assisting a very generous shopkeeper with a delivery, Clue had a bit of silver in his pocket for the first time since... well, possibly the first time ever. And now he gazed musingly in through the window of Twilfit & Tattings, knowing what he wanted to spend it on but not really knowing how. After all, he'd only ever worn secondhand clothes; mostly hand-me-downs from the other children at Mrs Spragg's foster home, which was why his sleeves were too long, elbows frayed, knees patched... just some of the reasons why other students walked quickly by little Clue Leverett whenever they saw him.

But something had happened recently that made him wish for a change; and even believe in a change. Hence him standing here, under the late afternoon sun, looking through the window at shirts and coats and ties and wondering where to begin before he lost his nerve.

Calla Potts