Dealin' With The Devil

Beppi the Clown

Step right up! Come one, come all! We got rides, games, prizes of all kinds!

Why hello there? What could I interest you in, if I may? A question? But of course!

Ohoho. The curious type, aren't you? Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question for you. Now, have a--I see a mischevious glint in those eyes of yours. What do you have planned?

A game? But of course! And what prize are you aiming for?

You hit the clown, I answer the question? I'll tell the story in parts for every point, but I like those stakes. Very well, challenge accepted.

Wow, strong arm. Alright then, I guess. My tale begins many years ago.

You see, I grew up in an unfortunate time, in an unfortunate town. Not a lot of people had money, and not a soul remembered how to smile. Any time someone tried to make a joke, or lighten the mood, someone else would come and spoil it. How could anyone smile near the sight of entire homeless towns?, after all.

I could, apparently. And I tried my darnest to make others laugh, at least a little. I was never going to let the situation or the times get ahold of me.

I was always the naive one out of the group, wasn't I?

Anywho, that pretty much explains my childhood. And why I ran off to join the circus.

But the thing about humor that most people don't realize is how subjective it is. And no matter how hard I tried, people never seemed to appreciate the joke. It got to the point where I started getting frustrated. I wanted to force them into smiling. Into laughing. Of course, that wasn't possible, was it?

Or, so I thought.

Ya see, it was a late show that night, with the same results as always. But as I was helping the crew pack up, I saw a dark, shadowy figure come towards me. He said he enjoyed the show, thought I was funny, and had a proposition. He showed me a contract that was going to 'grant me my wildest desires'. All it sounded to me was a chance. A chance that I was more than willing to take. So I took the pen and signed it.

Had I known that I was making a deal with the devil, I might've hesitated a little more. Probably still would have taken the deal anyway. I made people think I'm entertaining, and I think both parties got the better of it.

It wasn't that I purposefully cheated the Devil out of a deal. I wholeheartedly forgot to pay him. Of course, I like my soul. And if he wants to take it, he and his minions can take it from me out of my cold, dead hands. That goes for anyone else as well.

Oh! So close! Looks like you ran out! Welp! Come again!!

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!