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"I saw it again!" Ethan said as Max opened up the door for him. He didn't wait to be invited in as he quickly pushed Max aside and barged into the house, his eyes darting through corners like he was scared of something.
"Saw what again dude?" Max asked, clearly confused as to what his friend was saying, still holding the door open.
Ethan quickly rushed toward him and shoved him off the door. He banged the door shut and walked back into the room pacing up and down. Sweating profusely.
"Dude, you're scaring me. What did you see? What's going on?" Max asked disturbed.
"The clown"
"The clown?"
Ethan nodded.
"Ethan the last time you saw that imaginary clown was like what? Twenty years ago” Max reminded him, he was gradually getting pissed off. He wondered if his friend was drunk in the wee hours of the night.
"I know. It's. it's. it's like it's back. Maybe it wasn't an imaginary clown, dude?" Ethan said.
As a kid, Ethan feared clowns so he made up this thought of an imaginary clown following him about everywhere he went till he was five years old. Nobody knew whether he was telling the truth or lying. But Immediately after the death of his parents just in his fifth year he ceased talking about seeing clowns.
"What do you mean it's back? What do you even mean by all that?" Max asked, confused and trying hard not to believe that his friend was going insane again.
There was silence as Ethan had no explanation for that but he was sure of what he saw.
"Okay, can you at least sit down let's talk about this. Calm down" Max said in a soothing voice. Then he dragged his friend to a seat and made him sit down. "I'll get you a glass of water" he added and walked to a fridge in his room, poured a glass of cold water, returned and handed it over to Ethan who was still fidgeting. "Tell me about it"
Ethan gulped the cold drink and quickly handed back the cup. He took a deep breath before he began narrating to his friend how he was on a walk date at the park with this girl he had a crush on when all of a sudden the park seemed deserted and at a far-right corner stood a clown smiling at him. He taught it to be a clown from a children's party hosted in the park but there was no party going on in sight at that moment.
He shrugged it off and continued his walk only to notice he was still being followed by the clown. Out of fear he left his date and ran away straight to Max's house for safety.
"Wait, Ethan, you left your date at the park and ran off?" Max asked, eyes wide open and his right hand on his forehead in disbelief.
"I had no choice," Ethan replied and burst into tears. "I was scared. I know what I saw."
"Alright, we've got to report this to the police. I'll get my car keys"
They drove to the city's police station and reported the incident to the police. But the reply they got wasn't what Ethan expected.
"Don't worry son. I'm sure a friend of yours is playing pranks on you. Go home and relax, you'll be fine. The police don't go around chasing clowns that smile at people. Or isn't that what they do again?" The local police chief had asked Ethan.
But Ethan wasn't satisfied with the outcome. He knew what he saw and what he had experienced. He cursed at the police chief in his mind as they drove home in Max's car and wished someone would believe him. He looked at Max, he was sure Max didn't believe him either.
Now it has been days and Ethan hasn't had any encounter with the clown again. He was beginning to think the Police Chief was right. He felt embarrassed for all his weird behaviour the past few days. Even his date didn't want to see him again.
"I'm the real clown now," he said to himself as he lay there in his dark room.
Just then a knock came at the door. It must be Max. He walked to the door and opened but nobody was there. He thought it strange. Quietly, he shut his door and turned around to walk back into the house but just behind him was the clown again. The one from the park. He knew this because right from the first day he felt the make up felt different.
But unlike before Ethan didn't shiver, instead, he felt this anger within him that fueled his courage. He took a step backwards and punched hard at the figure standing before him. Then a familiar voice yelled from the mouth of the face-painted figure standing before him. It was his older brother's voice who had run away from home weeks after their parents died leaving him to fend for himself. Lucky enough he had the help of Max and his parents
"David?" Ethan called.
"Bro, do you want to kill me?" David replied, wiping off the clown makeup to reveal his face.
"Dude, it was you at the park? How dare you?" Ethan asked with a resounding slap again.
"Calm down bro, It's me alright." David pleaded, rubbing his hurting cheeks.
"You know how scared I was of clowns when we were small. Yet, you decided to announce your arrival just like the prodigal brother you are by bringing back my childhood trauma" Ethan gnashed in anger pacing around the room. He knew David to be irresponsible and selfish but he didn't know that he would still be the same up till this day he resurfaced from God knows when.
"I'm sorry. I work part-time as a clown at children's parties. I saw you that day at the park after I just finished a gig and didn't know how to walk up to you after all that had happened between us." David explained with regret in his voice. “After how I left you”.
"Abandoned” Ethan paused. “So you thought the best way to do so was to scare me"
"A little. I mean that's what I could think of at that point" David replied, giving a mischievous smile.
"Get out of this house or I'll call the police" Ethan commanded in a calm but serious voice while pointing at the door. "And I'll make sure to tell them how you broke into the house. Do you think you can just walk your way back into my life after all you've done? You left me to rot after our parents died David. Leave!" Ethan barked.
David looked at him with sorry eyes but didn't argue. He walked to the door and turned around to his brother once more.
"If I could change the past. I'll do everything it takes to make it better and be a better big brother. I know I messed up but I'm sorry bro" David left and shut the door behind him.
Ethan slumped on a chair and cried. He missed his brother but he wasn't ready to toy with his feelings again. Not that night.