After watching Stephen King’s It as a child, I had always been deathly afraid of clowns. But my son was turning six, and he begged for a clown until I finally caved in.
That Saturday, I watched the party from the kitchen window while my husband supervised. What did a mother know about giving a growing boy a party anyway? If I had my way, he’d still be wearing my underwear on his head and trying to walk in my heels.
It arrived an hour late. I could see through his face paint, and when he stumbled out of the minivan, a small Jack Daniel’s bottle fell from his oversized pocket. He scooped my son in his arms and tossed him up and down in the air as if he were juggling.
I burst through the back door, screaming, “You demon! How dare you throw my child!”
The children stopped and stared. It said nothing, only swayed while holding my son.
My husband escorted me back to the house. “You forgot to take your pills again, sweetie.”
word count: ~175
—Nortina
This is in response to Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers: write a story in 100-150 words (give or take 25 words) using the provided photo prompt as inspiration.
Click on the froggy icon to read other stories and add your own!
I’ve never seen the movie It, but from what I’ve heard most people have been afraid of clowns after watching it. If I was the mom I would’ve done the same thing. Great story! 🙂
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Oh my what a story! mom was right and the ending left me feeling annoyed at the husband since she was right to worry if the clown had been drinking, and not all worries and outbursts are related to mental illness. Great writing indeed, since you got me hooked in the story!
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I think I’m with the mother on this one – pills or no pills that clown was not a good choice for the party.I hope the father realises that there was a valid reason for her outburst. As a children’s entertainer (not a clown!) myself, I was shaking my head from the minute you said ‘It arrived an hour late.’ I know a few entertainers like that and they give us all a bad name. Good story. 🙂
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Looks like the joke is on her. Even though she flipped out about the clown because she saw the bottle. It still makes me wonder if this time she wasn’t seeing things.
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Loved this! Though I never got the chance to read It as a child, there’s always something terrifying about them. I liked the end. Well done.
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Exciting story, Nortina. Clowns are seriously scary, so I’m not surprised the mother kept out of his way. Nor is it surprising that the sight of the Jack Daniels, and her child being thrown in the air made her flip. As a mother, she would have reated like that, pills or no pills. 🙂
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The fact that the husband knows she takes pills and hates clowns is clouding his judgment and distracting him from the danger that his son is in. At the same time, she did go a little over the top with calling the clown “Demon.” Hopefully, the clown will be thrown out and fired. On a side note, I couldn’t help but frown and wonder why this woman doesn’t think she as a mother would know plenty about giving a growing boy a party. Still, all in all, another great piece.
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Great analysis! The character are behaving questionable, no doubt. Thanks for reading!
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I think it was in Uncle Buck that the drunk clown turned up at the kids party only to be unceremoniously ejected by Uncle Buck. Good story Nortina, you don’t need pills to see the bottle fall out of his pocket.
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Very well done. My Baba has to take her pills to or she’ll see or hear scary stuff like that. I feel sorry for people who experience delusions, the mind is never kind when it’s not working right.
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Regardless of not taking her medication, at least she was quick to respond.
Brilliantly written!
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Nice surprising twist at the end. Good that it was the “no pill” reason for her reaction and not the real thing! Great that she was so quick to respond. I would want her on my side any day!
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Nicely done in such few words!
Hope to read all your posts A to Z 🙂
A ~ Accident
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I dunno, I’m with the mother, pills or no pills… Clowns are creepy! Drunk clowns? I’d say, run 😀
I love the details you got here: the kiddo running around with her underwear on his head, the shoddy face-paint, her swaying while holding her son. Nicely done!
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Love your story – hate clowns! Brilliant!
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That was brilliant. Fantastic twist at the end. I agree with PJ, she still had reason for concern. Love the title too. When I first saw the clown picture I immediately thought of “It” too. Haven’s seen the movie but the book freaked me out!
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I’ve never read the book. But that movie gave me nightmares! Every time I see a clown, my mind immediately goes to It. Scarred me for life. Lol
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Excellent Nortina! I don’t blame the mother since she knew the clown had been drinking! It was a great ending. 🙂
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