Clowns Scare Ya?! Just Say 'NO!'

They weren’t supposed to get out of the panel truck in front of the house. They were supposed to park around the corner and then just go skipping up the path to ring the bell.

Well it was the kid’s birthday for Christ sake.

“Don’t scare’em. Kids are scared of clowns anyway now.”

That, from Joe Reems who ran Party Poppers, the ultimate party service.

We supply all your party requirements.

There used to be a ‘we’ when Joe’s wife, Edna was still breathing, but for the past five years it was only Joe.

He supplied clowns, strippers, witches like from the Wizard of Oz, too. He even had some Frankensteins and Draculas for Halloween. He used to supply clowns like crazy but lately no one wanted them.

“They frighten the children.”

How many times had Joe heard that?

He used to say he didn’t understand the reasoning behind the clown phobia. Well, people change maybe.

Yeah and there were films and books about scary clowns, demonic clowns even effing cannibal clowns.

Joe began to resent it. But since he wanted to keep his business he had to please people.

But business wasn’t so good lately. So when the two guys came in, nicest guys you’d want to meet, to ask if there were jobs with Joe’s Party Service Joe asked them what their specialty was.

“Why, we worked in circuses and amusement parts, shows too. We were clowns!”

Joe’s smile vanished and his cigar fell out of his mouth.

“You were clowns?”

“Yup, we sure were and proud of it.”

They sounded pretty impassioned, too.

They all started to talk then about the prejudice lately. None of them liked it.

“It’s put a lot of guys out of business.”

One of them replied.

“Some committed suicide, even.”

Joe felt sorry for them. “You got pictures of yourselves in costume?”

They sure did and Joe liked them.

“Okay,” he said. “You free on Friday?”

                                                                      *

Friday came and they pulled up in front of the birthday boy’s house. The mother was hovering. They could see her at the window. When she saw them she looked worried.

“Friggin’ bitch, what’s wrong with the way we look? I bet she’s gonna call Mr. Cigar!” Desmond said.

Buck shook his head. “Nah let’s just play along nice like."

So they played along. They acted funny and clumsy and stupid too and the woman looked as though she fell for it.

The kids seemed okay with them too.

They went into their bullshit routine, singing, 'Happy Birthday' and talking to the little kids as though they liked them.

When Mom stepped out of the room they turned. Just like that. Like you’d snap a light switch.

They smiled their big smiles showing their sharp teeth.

Yes, it was just like the clown in IT.

One kid started to bawl so Desmond smacked him one. Damn if the little bastard didn’t roll over backwards.

Mom came rushing in. Soon, all the kids were screaming.

Buck dragged the mother out of the room, “you’re pretty hot for a mommy,” he said.

She was fighting him but he was a hell of a lot stronger.

Man, they enjoyed themselves that day. These were tasty kids. Sweet as anything. Nothing like young flesh.

After gorging themselves on the little bastards they finished off the mother. She didn’t care by then. Poor bitch.

She was plump so they had seconds.

When they heard the car pull up they changed in a second, morphing into those they had cannibalized.

Demons can do that. They can multiply their numbers like nobody’s business.

The blood and gore went too in a flash.

The father came in and smiled. “Did you have fun, kids?”

Desmond liked the father at once and sashayed over to him. “Hi, darling!”

The father beamed after Des gave him a little tongue action. “We all had a great time, didn’t we kids? Come along,” Desmond said, pulling daddy from the room, “I feel like a matinee!”

Buck waited. “Maybe Joe’s got a daughter,” he said to himself.

© Copyright 2012 Carole Gill

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