When I was young my family had a cottage at Winnipeg Beach. In downtown Winnipeg Beach there was an Esso gas station that was owned and run by Clarence the one-fingered mechanic. Clarence also liked to dress up like a clown and drive his 30s Ford in the little town parades that would occur once in a while.

Actually, poor old Clarence had more than one finger, he probably had about two left on each hand. The rest had been sliced off in mechanical accidents. My sister and I would cower in the back seat when my dad would fill up the tank at Clarence's garage, hiding from those scary fingerless hands of his, but unable to take our eyes off of them. He wore gloves when he dressed as a clown.

The garage is still there with a big For Sale sign on it. I hope it's haunted.