Poppy the jester
Ive never really enjoyed working at the fair, the sound of screaming kids and angry parents were all I ever heard for 8 hours straight. I had been working there too save up money for a new car, My parents wouldn't stop pestering me about it so I took up whatever job I could find without thinking of the pros and cons I had a wife who lived with me and my parents, she had given birth too our newborn not long ago I couldnt wait to get back to them. Days went by slow, Everynight having to spend some of the money i'd earned on food for dinner, since my parents didn't normally cook. I was sick of the same fair foods, corndogs, pizza, popcorn and cotton candy. I was incharge of taking tickets from those who'd purchased one for a show, It was in the middle of the fair, a fairly large tent where clowns would perform and do tricks like any other clown would. I never really got too see one of their shows but I knew each of the clowns that performed by first name. My parents were friends with them so I usually played with their kids when I was younger. I'd go home everyday exhausted after checking the tent for missing children and normal cleaning protocols, It still seemed like I could hear faint noises of childrens laughter and screaming in my head knowing that there are none around. As I make my way inside as I expected my parents were alseep, all the lights were turned off. My parents worked early mornings and late afternoons so I didn't expect them too stay up waiting to greet me home. As I usually do I head upstairs and take a hot shower counting in my head how much money I'd make from the shift I worked. "1...2...3..." I mumbled to myself as I counted the hours. As I stepped out I started to feel an unusual feeling of being watched. I shrug off the feeling and head too my room, I had a long day tomorrow. I was opening the fair with a fellow co-worker named Rebecca. She was fairly nice in her early 30's she had brown hair with hazel eyes. As I lay in bed I think about tomorrow, what will I eat? I don't really want to eat fairfood again. Maybe i'll make a pb and j sandwich and take it with me with a bottle of water. I must have been really tired because I don't even realize i'd fallen asleep. I woke the next morning feeling more tired than usual. I swung my legs out of bed and rub my tired eyes before getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom, brushing my teeth combing my hair and washing my face. As I make my way downstairs I head straight to the kitchen and make myself a sandwich for lunch and grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge. As I make my way back to the fair I look around spotting Rebecca filling the ticketbooth with more tickets in a different color than yesterdays so no one tries to reuse tickets. As I help her re-open families are already lining up to get in. The clowns were fully dressed and ready, one yellow, one green, and one blue. They were all so polite, carrying balloons and such for children as they enter the tent I see more employees start to enter the fairgrounds. They were chatting amongst themselves. Whenever the fair did open families would flood it, childrens faces filled with joy and happiness as their parents try to keep a smile even though the noise was bothersome. Once again at the end of my shift I entered the tent I stood outside of and checked for children. I heard a string of music notes. It sounded like the rock-a-bye baby song my parents sung to me as a kid. I looked around for where the music could have been coming from. Seeing nothing I got a cold chill down my spine. As I cleaned I heard muffled laughter, almost like clowns cackling. I quickly spun around to the center of the tent and saw a red jester..his back to me crouching over something as he sung "Rock a bye baby..in the tree top." In a hushed voice. This clown was something i've never seen before he wasn't a part of this tent where did he come from?! Who was he?! I find myself frozen just watching him. The clown turned and looked straight at me. I tried to mutter a sound but nothing escaped my lips. He wore a crooked smile, he had bright red hair and all white eyes. He slowly moved closer, I tried to move back but found myself unable to move, I panicked. He stopped...He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handcrafted teddy bear. "Take it.." He said in a hushed tone, holding it out too me. As I looked at him I felt myself slowly reaching out to take the bear, I tried to stop myself but I just couldn't, I tried and I tried but it seemed like he had some trance on me I couldnt stop. I took the bear and he disappeared. I immediately dropped the bear and ran out of the tent and ran all the way home without looking back. What was that thing? Who was he? Where did he go?! As I ready myself for bed all I could think about was that jester. After a while I finally found a bit of peace, and fell asleep. The next day I worked the night shift so when that time came about I had already eaten and made my way out of the house. As I clocked in and walked over to the tent I peered inside seeing the same clowns with the familiar colors, not a red one in sight. When it came closing time I hesitated to enter the tent but did so. Everyone was gone, I was afraid to be alone. I walked in and looked around, spotting a small circular box in the middle of the floor. I feel myself inching closer to inspect what it was, maybe a kid left it? I slowly picked it up. It was a music box. As I wound it up Rock-a-bye baby started to play. I stared at the box, it rattled and shook in my hands I dropped it to the floor, out popped the Jester from last night. That same crooked smile from the night before. "You've wound my box..You've freed me so I suppose three wishes of your choosing should be granted to you.." I stare at him in disbelief. Wishes? He's a clown..what on earth? I feel myself muttering out "I wish I had a new car?" What was I thinking?! Why would I answer to that! The jester looked at me and smirked. A cloud of dark smoke grew around the both of us, I could barely see him. Soon after the smoke faded. "Go look outside..~" he muttered. As I stepped out I saw a brand new car sitting in the empty parking lot. I was shocked. Was this actually a good thing? The jester followed me, kind of hovering off the ground. "Anything else?" He smirked. "Uh..I know its weird but there is this doll i've been wanting since I was a kid..she has blonde hair and green eyes." The jester smirked, making the doll appear right before my eyes. He handed it off too me. I took it without hesitation, she was cold to the touch. I started to feel an off feeling. I looked up at the clown and his smile had turned into a smirk he seemed more powerful, like the wishes I'd asked for were making him stronger. He smirked at me and leaned down. "One more~" I could feel myself trembling, I dropped the doll and backed away from him. The doll's face melted and turned into a goopy mess. I stared at the jester in disbelief. He stared back at me and cackled. "Perhaps I can make it for you..." The jester disappeared right before my eyes. I stand frozen for about a minute or two before racing out of the fair and back home I screamed for my wife Lisa. I heard cackling from upstairs and I run upstairs and followed the sound of the cackling. It was coming from inside the babies room. I break the locked door down and stared...the jester had grabbed our two week old baby and was rocking it, singing "Rock a bye baby...in the tree top..." He must have known I was standing there, he grabbed my babies head and twisted it off dropping it too the floor. I must have screamed so loud I didnt realize my parents and wife came running in not seeing the jester but me holding the babies decapitated body, blood on my hands and the head on the floor...I'm doing life in prison, because of that fucking jester! And at night I can still hear his cackling...he's taunting me.
