The Clown

Her fear of clowns was a lifelong nightmare for her, until this night...

The Clown

Jack Ivey

 

Gina awoke with her lungs inflamed and devoid of air. She sat up, wrapped in her bed sheets, completely drenched in sweat. Her hands reached for her neck as she gasped for breath. Fumbling for the lamp on her nightstand, she knocked her glass of water to the floor. Switching on the lamp, through clouded eyes she could see she was alone, though her heart raced as if the opposite were true. She sat terrified, motionless - as the nightmare still raced in her mind.

 

She had begun experiencing nightmares soon after her sixth birthday party.  The clown hired by her parents had shown up drunk, vomited on her birthday cake, and exposed himself to her and her friends.  The way he sneered at her, with that painted on smile as he was handcuffed and led away, haunted her dreams.  Eventually, the dreams became so horrific her parents consulted a child psychologist, fearing suicide would be her next step.

 

It had been ten years since the incident and Gina had locked it away somewhere deep in her past. Her life had been somewhat normal for a while. The nightmares had ended, but her fear of clowns was something that would linger forever. This night, however, that clown returned.

 

She lay frozen in fear as he entered her room. His hair was the color of hell fire; his lips smeared in a bloody red smile. A single black tear drop adorned his starkly white painted face. He tied a rope around her neck and secured it to the headboard so that any movement would choke her. The monster then climbed atop the young woman and had his way with her. Sickened, as his dirt encrusted fingernails moved freely about her body, she squirmed as the rope became tighter, cutting off her air. He found this to be amusing, laughing as he kissed her, forcing his tongue down her throat as her body convulsed for air. His breath, smelling of sulfur, flooded into her nostrils and she gagged on his spit. It was at this point that she woke up.

 

Shaking, she stepped from her bed onto the damp carpet, wet from the spilled water. Retrieving the glass, she tiptoed to the bathroom for a refill. The glass fell from her hand and shattered in the sink as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Behind her stood the clown, staring at her with that painted on smile she had come to despise. With reflexes even she didn’t realize she had, Gina grabbed a shard of broken glass and quickly spinning, sliced a neat straight line across the intruder’s neck. The flow of blood was mesmerizing as Gina watched her nightmare fall in a heap on the bathroom floor. Without hesitation she stuck her fingers into the oozing pool of blood growing at her feet, raised them to his face and repainted his smile to a frown.   

 

 

 

Author's Note

A short Flash Fiction story

Reviews

[Nick.B]

Great short story with some great description and with an excellent message behind it....love your style

[Jack...]

Thanks Nick

[Angel of Heart's]

Oh my...will I dare to turn out the light tonight:)
Your story had me transfixed....unable to stop traversing each line...... I realised I was holding my breath....as the nightmare unraveled....
Kudos to your ability, to produce shivers....:)

[Jack...]

Thanks, I am happy it gave you the chills.

[Distant horizons]

It's amazing circus' do any business at all with the amount of people who have fears of clowns. maybe it's the mask thing, but i certainly can't stand them. Good that Gina finally got the last word in this eerie piece. Down with the clown :-)

[Jack...]

That guy was just a bozo anyway. Thanks Lorry, I appreciate you reading my Flash Fiction story.

[Carolann Dowsett]

ooooo I hate clowns lol they are so creepy as was this awesome story of yours. It had me in its grasp from beginning to end. Very well written and very spooky.

[Jack...]

Thanks Carolann, just a little bit from my dark side. :)

[Carolann Dowsett]

Welcome :)

[Mek & the Infinite Madn..]

i sense that something else is happening underneath the surface of this piece. it actually reminded me of how hard it is to deal with a "certain past" and eventually having to deal with it.

great write!

[Jack...]

Thanks, I am gald you enjoyed it.

[icelandicblue]

A definite "Stephen King" moment. Most of his stories don't end well either.

[Jack...]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[Monster ^.^]

I should say... I'm very surprised how that ended! Neatly wrapped! I thought you took out the thrill by revealing it was already a dream from the start, but the end just returned that thrill and chill! Nightmares returning? This has a new feel to that :)

[Jack...]

Thanks so much

[Coyote Poetry]

You are a amazing writer. Brought me in with a wild beginning. Then the story got stronger. I like the way you led the reader to the ending. The story create some wild visions. Thank you for sharing the excellent story.
Coyote

[Jack...]

Thank you so much for reading and commenting. It is greatly appreciated.

[saratogaparty]

I would never sleep again if this was dreaming.

I think I'm freaked out now!

[Jack...]

Oops, sorry about that, but thank you for reading.

[AYVID N]

Spine chilling!
My compliments to you on the hair-raising story!

[Jack...]

Thank you so very much