[Akayume]: 202.Sneaks the Clown

Part One: The Start

I remember as a small child, I was always afraid of clowns. I didn't know why, I just was. I never went to circuses or carnivals, because clowns were there. They were so scary, with their painted faces, and fake smiles. And the big shoes, and the funny outfits. I thought that I could honestly not be any more scared of them than I already was. Little did I know that I was soon to learn how much more afraid I could really be.

 It all started when I was eight years old. We were a poor family, and I didn't have many toys. So, my mother thought it would be nice to make me a toy. But the toy she chose to make wasn't a very good one. She decided to make a clown. That's right, a clown. We were sitting in my parent's room, picking out fabic strips and scrps that matched to use for the toy.
"What would you like to make?" My mother asked, not looking up from her work.
"Maybe a dolly, or.."
"How about a clown?" My mother said, cutting me off. I looked up from my work to stare at her, horrified, but she kept on looking at her own work. "Yes. I think that will make a fine toy." My mother said, nodding her head in approvel. She had made up her mind. And when my mother made up her mind, there was no way to change it.


 A few months later when the leaves were beginning to fall from the trees, the clown was almost finished. I had tried to delay its coming, by messing up, or taking extra long putting things together. But of course, then my mother worked even harder. I had tried to convince my father to stop her, but he would only shake his head sadly and walk away.
 Sometimes, when i would walk into their room, I would catch my mother talking to the un-finished clown. She would croon over it, like it was her child. That would scare me, so I would quietly leave, not to disturb her.
 Then, before dinner time, my mother would hurry to get things ready, eat quickly, then go back to her work. I was worried about her. It didn't seem right to me that she would be so interested in something like a toy clown. After a while, I saw less and less of my mother, until that one horrible day that started it all.

 I came home from school one day, and called out as I opened the door and took off my shoes, "Mother! I'm home!" I shut the door behind me as I came inside. "Mom?" I called out, getting afraid. I looked around the corner to my parent's room, were I was suprised to see the door open. "Mom?" I said again, getting afraid.
"He's finally finished, he's finally done." I heard from their room. I pushed the door open a little more to see my mother craddling the small clowntoy in her arms. I gulped and said, "Mother? Are you alright?"
 "Isn't he wonderful?" She repeated, looking up, showing me her work. It was down-right hidious. It had an evil looking face, that smirked at you. It's nose was blood red, and too big for its head. The rest of the body seemed fine. It was only the head that frightened me. My mother's words brought me back to earth. "Rayla, what do you think?" I looked into my mother's eyes. They looked like she would cry if I told her the truth, so all I said was, "He's great mom."

Later that night at dinner, I was sitting in my chair, as usual, when I heard something. It sounded like....laughing. I put my fork down and said, "Did you hear that?"
My father said to me after he finished a bite of meatloaf, "No dear, what? Did you hear anything honey?" He turned to my mother.
My mother looked up and said, "No, not at all." I sighed, and finished my dinner. After dinner, my father and I read out of Howl's Moving Castle while my mother cleaned up.
After a while, my mother came out of the kitchen and said, "Rayla, time for bed." So, I got up off the floor, and went into my room. The horrid clown was sitting on my bed, sneering at me. With a disgested look on my face, I threw the clown into my closet, and shut the doors. Then, I went to sleep.

I woke up around midnight to hear the same evil laughing, only louder now. My whole body was shaking. I turned around in my bed to see the clown sitting in the olny chair in my room near the bed. The closet door was open. I gulped, and spoke in a voice no louder than a whisper, "W-wh-what do you want with me?" But the clown only laughed louder, and more evily. His face was twisted, it look so....wrong. I screamed.

This was the first of many events that were to happen in the days on Sneaks the clown.

part Two: The Nightmare

After the first incident with Sneaks on my chair, I grew more and more afraid of the evil thing. My father had to put the clown in the living room closet, just to calm me down. Even though he put the evil thing away, I still slept with all my lights on, and most of the time I slept lightly.

A few days later, I heard rustling in the living room closet. I walked over to it, and opened the door. Sneaks jumped out at me, and I screamed. He laughed evily. I looked at my face in the mirror in the closet. I was pale white. My mother rushed out, and, she lovingly took him off me, and put him in front of the mirror. For some odd reason, this quieted him down.
"There, now that's better, isn't it?" My mother spoke. I realized she wasn't talking to me, but to the clown. I shuddered. I closed the closet doors, and walked with my mother into the kitchen to help her wash the dishes.
"Hey mother, where's dad?" I asked as I dried a plate.
"He had to work late today dear." my mother replied.
We finished up the dishes, and we sat together in the living room, reading more out of our book. After about three chapters, my mother closed the book and said, "Well, it's getting late, and I'm tired. Hmm...your fther isn't home yet, and I guess you can stay up and wait for him." My mother said with a smile. She stood up, and went into her room, and closed the door after her. I scurried out of the living room, to get away from him. I sat in my bedroom, wide awake, until I heard the key in the front door. I jumped up from my bed, and met my father at the door.
"Hi sweety, how are you?" He asked me, smiling. But I was all serious.
"We need to talk dad, it's about mom, and...that, that, thing in the closet." I said, pointing to the closet. He sighed, and took off his hat.
"Sit down, and I'll answer any questions you have. You deserve to get some."
I sat down on the couch, and he sat next to me. I turned to him and said, "Why did mother want to make a clown toy when she knew I hated clowns? And why does she treated it like it's real?"
My father sighed, then, the horrible truth came. "When you were very little, too little to remember, our first home burned to the ground, taking our first child, our son, as well. Your brother, Samuel, loved clowns. They were his favorite things. Your mother loved him dearly, so, when he died, she well, changed." He sighed, then continued on. "So, she wanted to make the toy, to remind herself of him."
"BUt why is that thing so evil? Why does it hate me?" I asked, still confussed.
"Because..."
"Yes?"
"Your mother would have rather had him live, and you die."
I gasped, I was in shock. A tear fell from my eye. "So she hates me?"
"No, she doesn't hate you, she just...." He sighed, again. "Your mother has not been mentally right for a while now." He looked up at me, his face teary. "Please, don't talk to her about this. It would hurt her so much."
"Don't worry daddy, I won't sat a word." I promised as I gave him a hug, then I retreated to my bedroom.

A week later, my mother and I wee in the kitchen when we heard, "Hey whiskers, whats up?" Followed by an evil laughter. We both ran into the living room. The ground began to shake. I feel to the ground, and my mother leaned against a chair. She stumbled over to the closet, and opened it up. She gasped. The shaking had stopped. All the other toys that were in the closet were ripped apart. The clothing was torn to shreds. Every thing was ruined, except for Sneaks.
"We have to get rid of the evil thing!" I said desperatly to my other as I got up.
"How can you call him evil?" My mother said in an upset voice. She turned around, craddling the clown in her arms. "He isn't perfect, but he is still acts better than you!" She said to me, her voice now angry. I gawked at her. Seh liked that thing better than me. I looked at it. It was sneering at me, he face saying, ha ha, you lose.
My face grew dark. I walked out of the living room, and into my bedroom.
I have to stop him. I don't care how, but I will stop him.

Part Three: The Burning

I had a plan all ready. I had to get rid of that evil thing, I had to cleanse our home of it. So, I waited until one day when both of my parents were out of the house. I had to convince them that I would be alright. It took alot to get them to say yes, but finally, they gave in.
"Well dear, we'll be back in one or two hourse." My mother said. That's all I need. I thought as I practically shoved them out the door.
"By!" I called out waving as I shut the door. I waited a few minutes, to make sure they were gone. I went into my parents room, picked up Sneaks, and tossed him against the wall. "This ends right here, and right now. It's time we parted, Sneaks." I said in a snide voice.
He started to laugh, the face twisting up again.
"Im not afraid of you!" I shouted.
"Thats only what you want to believe, but deep down inside, you're terrified of me." He replied.
"How cam mom love you so much when you're so evil?" I asked, but all he did was laugh. I picked him up, and tossed him into the living room. As I started to stom after him, I tripped on the rug on the floor. I hit the ground hard. My palms and knees hurt. I slowly got up. Sneaks started to laugh again, louder this time. I stood up, a determinded look on my face. My eyes darted around the room, looking for something, anything........There! I thought. I ran over to the table next to the couch. My father ocasionally smoked, and he had left some matches and a cigarett pack on the table. I took one match, and i lit it. "Does this bring back memories?" I asked.
The clown's face turned really angry. I ran over, picked him up, and tossed him into the kitchen sink. I tried to set him on fire, but, the match went out as it got near him. He laughed.
"WHy wont you die!" I shouted.
He only laughed. The table moved, and bumped into me. I moved forward, only to get hit again. I hit my head on the edge of the conter after a few times getting hit. The blood ran down my face. I feel to the floor, and all went black.

 I woke up to a blinding white room and that hospital smell....that errie one that drives you mad.
 I groaned as I tried to sit up. My head was pounding. I sighed as I looked around me. This whole thing was bleak. I rubbed my head with my hand. A puzzled look crossed my face as my hand went over some wrapping. Why in the world is that there? I thought. Oh, now I remember. I hit my head after..........Oh no! that thing! I frantically looked around for my parents, but they weren't there. I tired to get up, and tried to get out of that room. But I was stopmed before I could even throw my legs over the edge of the bed. A nurse, along with my dad, came rushing in.
 "Here here dear, come on, you have to stay in bed now..." The nurse said nervously as she got me back into bed.
 I looked frantically over to my father. He had circles under his eyes. He sighed, the told the nurse she could go. She shook her head, and left. Dad pulled up a chair next to my bed, and placed his head in his hands. In a few moments, he lifted it up again, and said, "You tired to get rid of him, didn't you?"
 "Him? HIM?!?!?" I shouted. "That, that thing tried to kill me! He tried to-"
 "Rayla! Don't you see? you can't win, you just can't!" He shouted as the chair screectched on the floor as it was pushed back as he stood up.
 "Dad, dad, wait..." I said in a high pitched voice. I reached out my hand to him. My eyes were wide. "DAD! Stop! You-" I watched as he quickly left the room. My hand flopped down. I'm all alone now. It's only me against him. A few tears fell down my cheek. I started to sob. I placed my face in my hands. I'm all alone now, all alone.


 In a few days I was able to go home. I hadn't hit my head too hard, thankfully. I can still remembr the look my mother gave me when dad and I came up to our home in the car. She was clutching Sneaks in her arms. Her eyes were ice cold, they went right through my father, and to my heart, which felt like it was frozen cold. I shuddered as our eyes locked when I got out of the car. I finally was able to pull away, and blink. I walked close to my father as we got to the door.
 "Honey, we're back. Ready to go up and home?" My dad asked here as She turned around. He placed a hand on her back. He looked back nervously to me. I followed behind, silent. My eyes were filled with hate. I was only too glad that they couldn't see my face. I had to pretend to be good, and to like......it. I had promise my father in the car.
 "You have to at least pretend to like him, for your mother." My father had pleaded.
 "No way, Uh-uh." I replied, shaking my head.
 "For me?"
 I sighed. "Alright."
 "promise?"
 "Promise."

 Now that we had gotten into the elevator, I wished that I had stayed at the hospital. My mother had this cold, hate-filled glare, and the onlyplace where her eyes could rest was on me. It made me feel uneasy. I sighed with relief as the elevator made a 'ding!' noise as we got to our floor. I quickly got out after my father and mother. My mother opened the door, and stepped inside. My dad held the door open for me, so I stepped in, only to be met by that glare again. I quickly made my way to my bedroom. What I saw made me scream.
My room was a mess. Everything was tossed about. Things were ripped, teared up, and mangled up. I couldn't belive my eyes.
 "What is it?" My mother asked as she walked in behind me.
 "L-lo-look what happened! How could this-" I couldn't even finish my sentence. I was so upset, I couldn't think right. The only thing that I could focus on was the image of Sneaks appearing again and again in my mind. I turned around to see mom holding him. His smile had widened, and gotten more sinister looking.
 "Dear, I have no clue what happened....." My mother said as she handed Sneaks over to my father. "Here, let me help you clean up..." She said as she bent down and began to pick things up.
I sighed, and also began to pick things up. I know it was you.....and some how, some way, I will get rid of you.

It had been three days since I had come home. I was sitting on the couch, reading a book. My mother and father were in the kitchen. All of a sudden, we heard a knocking at our door.
"I'll get it!" My mother said as she got up and hustled over to the door.
One of our neighbors, the Cartsons, had come over. "Hello! I, Mardge, would like to invite you to our home!" She said with a large smile.
 My mother looked over at my fahter, then back to Mardge. She said, "How nice of you to invite us! But you see, out daughter-"
 "Oh, it's alright mother! I'll clean up teh mess then meet you and dad there." I said with a large smile. My mother looked down at me, and said, "What a wonderful idea Rayla!" She turned to Mardge, and said, "We would be delighted to come."
I sighed inwardly. We still hadn't been able to get my room completely clean. I slide off the kitchen chair that I had been sitting in, and I walked into my room.
 "Honey! Please hurry!" My mother shouted to me as she and my father. I waited patiently until I heard the door close, then I heard them walk down the hall. I smiled. Now it's time for the fun to begin. I grabbed Sneaks off my bed, and brought him into the livingroom.
 "Listen you grimmy little devil, today I'm gonna get rid of you, for once and for all." I told him threw gritted teeth. He laughed. I grabbed a match again.
"We already tried this babe, and it didn't work out too well for you." He said in thatevil kinda way. "Oh no Sneaks, I have a better idea this time. You might not burn, but this floor will."
The stupid smile was whipped off his face. "You wouldn't!"
 "I would." I let the lighted match drop. I ran. OUt of the house, and down the hall. I pounded on the Cartsons' door. "There's a fire! Get out!" I screamed as I ran down the stairs and out of the building.

We stood outside the burned and charred remains of the apratment complex. My mother had her face burried in my fathers shoulder. She was upset, of course, about losing Sneaks. I was only too glad that not too many people lived in the small complex, and that no one was hurt. He's gone, gone for good, and he'll never come back. I thought with a smile of relief. For once in a long time I could close my eyes, and rest easy.

The End.