Tuesday, April 9, 2013

H is for Horror



     “What you gonna do about it?” the man on the other side of the counter asked, waving his gun haphazardly in my direction.
     I smiled. I was hoping he’d ask that; it wasn’t very often my wife let me play.
     His eyes stayed fixed on me as I walked around the counter and stood in front of him. He was still confident though, overly so. And I guess I didn’t blame him. I hardly looked threatening, that was the point.
     “That’s far enough,” he said, looking down at me, smiling like he had all the cards and I had none.
     “Funny you should mention that,” I said, watching as his eyes showed the first sign of fear, of knowledge. That was always my favorite part, when they began to realize what they were in for.
     “I was just leaving,” he muttered, already taking a step backward toward the door.
     “No,” I said. “You went just far enough.”  
    I could see in his pupils what I’d become for him, what his worst fear was. Another clown. Who would’ve thought so many people would be afraid of clowns?
     Oh well, I thought. It's his nightmare, I'm just creating it.

46 comments:

  1. LOL. I have several friends who are clown-phobes. Another awesome story. I love the idea of someone becoming whatever their enemy fears. great concept.

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    1. If that was the case for me the person would have to be schizophrenic.. I fear so many different things.

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  2. Great fear to use. Who doesn't have nightmares about clowns?

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    1. They are pretty creepy; especially because I have no idea why.

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  3. descriptive of events at game. Good one.

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  4. Ooh this is great, reminds me of a boggart :)

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  5. Creepy and fun. Great little scene.

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  6. Great Shorts. I love that I can get a quick does of good writing in the middle of my day. I especially liked the life isn't fair post.

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    1. Thank you. I've had so much fun writing these- so much easier than a full length!

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  7. Nice short! I just re-read Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." That's a lovely horror short that tightens its grip as you figure out the implications.

    Well done!

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    1. I love twists and turns in what I read. It adds to the fun of it.

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  8. It is funny how many people are afraid of clowns.. I dated one once and it caused some of my friends trouble, just knowing what he did professionally (even if he wasn't in costume). Nice little piece :)

    Happy 2nd week!

    AJ Lauer
    #atozchallenge helper minion
    Twitter: @ayjaylauer

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    1. That is so funny- you'd think it wouldn't matter when he wasn't in costume...

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  9. Intriguing! There's some mind games going on there - turn the fear around, I like it.

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    1. My guess is he won't be robbing mini-marts anymore.

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  10. That's a handy trick! Clowns are creepy.

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  11. Hmm. I wonder why some people fear clowns.

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    1. I think it's the fake smile. You never really know what they're really thinking.

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  12. Hi, Melanie,

    What a ver cool story... Really enjoyed it! Like Laura said... He is like a bogart!

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  13. This story made me think of the TV movie IT based on Stephen King's book.

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    1. That was one scary movie, but the book was even more terrifying.

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  14. Another awesome flash!
    Clowns creep a lot of people out.

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  15. Great story. I like the little bit of humor about the clowns, almost as if the narrator is bored of it.

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    1. It does seem like he's done it before, doesn't it?

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  16. I see great minds think alike! Like the excerpt! Clowns. The only thing worse than clowns are clown puppets! Great post.

    Karen

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  17. Nice! It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for :)

    Left and Write

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  18. People should automatically know to be afraid of clowns. It's a given, right?

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    1. It's required learning in Kindergarten. You can't go on to first grade unless you openly acknowledge that clowns are evil.

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  19. You have an awesome imagination. You write such great short stories! That's a special gift. MM

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    1. thank you. I've really enjoyed writing these. Check out my longer piece, In Lord Shadow's house. It's about 5000 words. You'll find the link up top under the tab for short stories. I'd love to hear what you think about it. Actually, I'm a little afraid because I just went to your site and saw your impeccable grammar skills.

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  20. hahaha yeah, it is amazing how many people are afraid of clowns. Loved the story.

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    1. I'm telling you... it's the smile. At least for me.

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  21. This is great! I read it twice. Very clever!

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  22. Great flash fiction piece. Were people that afraid of clowns even before Stephen King wrote IT?

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    1. I don't know. That was the starting point for me at least.

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  23. LOVE this! I sooooo want to be the clown tormenting the other guy!

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