Puddin'

My Joker

I gazed over my notes one last time, the joker was the most wanted criminal in Gotham, known for lying, killing, manipulating, but I wondered if there was more to him than that, it seemed he'd never had any past pre joker, he was first sighted running down the nuclear plant in a red cape and some kind of helmet with no eyes. I often wondered about that, his two friends, could it be true that they put him up to it, I dreaded to think, only prayed there was a shread of humanity in those green eyes. There was a knocking on the door. "Come in!" I called, Dr Serano strode in, "He is ready" she said with a glum face, it was true that I was not to only one who wanted to learn about the joker, Dr Serano had taken an interest in him too however unlike me, helping him didn't seem like her goal, you see, she's writing a book, about the joker, and she wants the team to pitch in. I grabbed my notepad and pen then darted into his therapy room, although it was more like a cell, the walls were thick and there were 4 layers of bullet proof glass.  I paused at the entrance, could I do this? Interview the worlds most notorious villain? I unlocked the door.

There he was

"Ah, I've been waitin' Harlequin"

I locked the door again and sat down with my notepad.

"Hello, Mr Joker, I understand you requested this session"

He began giggling slightly

"Yes I did, I can tell you and me, we will get on famously, adventures of the Joker and Harlequin, gota nice ring ta it don't it"

I smiled a little, I knew from my previous patients at physiology training that when they warm up to you, it can be easier to get out more information. I decided to press for some basic details just to make it easier to get into his full past.

"So, Mr Joker, you, you were in the red hood, am I right?"

"Of corse I was, my two, aquitences, sadly aren't here to say the same thing"

"And why is that?"

"They were shot, so horribly..."

"Why do you refer to them as aquitences?"

"Well, you see, I never knew then as such, more, I needed the money... Not until the day, the day the bat took it all away, how could I go back home with a face like this?"

"Home..? And where was that?"

"You see, I guess I never had a home, more, I had a closet to sleep in, my father would always beat me with his belt buckle, it was horrible! Until one time... He took me to the circus... I'd never seen him laugh so much at all the silly clowns, he loved it. So I though, one day, I'd try and make him laugh, I jumped up to him, and dropped my trousers! Oh but, he didn't get the joke, all I wanted to do was to make people smile..."

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He beat me to a pulp..."

I had written so much into my notebook already I was running out of room.

"I'm sorry Harley, let's just keep this between ourselves? I guess I just get carried away, oh I would hate for the whole of Arkham asylum to know, I'm sorry HQ, I just can't stop myself! I don't want the doctors thinking poorly of me. I don't want them to look down on me, just like dad would, I don't want to be small again..."

He let out a muffled laugh again

I was frozen, I thought, perhaps I could help him, perhaps I could carry him out of here, carry him out of here smiling and no longer after that Batman. Maybe I could help.

"Mr Joker, thank you, I won't, this is classified between me and you. I will work with what I have and try and help you never feel small again!"

"Well Harley, I guess I shout stop, how about I hear about you a little? You know me so well already yet I hardly know you"

I smiled a little again before opening my mouth and letting each word flow out, but it was between me as him, me and my joker.