novelnext Ep 56.5 (Extra). Clown Jester
Ep 56.5 (Extra). Clown Jester
Ep 56.5 (Extra). Clown Jester
Extra entries are celebratory pieces written on random, special occasions; they’re not necessarily a part of the main story. Take them with a grain of salt.
Happy April Fools!
Ep 56.5 (Extra). Clown Jester
A woman ran as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the trail of blood that her bleeding feet were leaving behind. She couldn’t let the pain slow her down – not with her little daughter, barely a year old, in her arms. She screamed for help, but her words were soon drowned out by an even louder voice behind her.
Her husband chased after her in drunken steps, swinging his emptied bottle of ale like a club. His slurred, anger-filled shouts echoed through the night, but not a single villager came to the woman’s rescue.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.comeone else will look. Someone else will check. Surely, someone else will help this poor woman and her child.
“But they don’t, do they?”
When the woman abruptly turned a corner, standing before her was another child. His voice was young and immature, and yet, he clearly wasn’t an ordinary child of the village.
He was slightly shorter than the woman herself, and looked no older than maybe thirteen or so. However, decorating his body were lavish, presumptuous items that no villager could ever afford in these parts; his oversized, blood-orange overcoat was adorned in intricate patterns and decorations of gold, being worn over a violet linen undershirt whose fabric seemed to glow in the dark. A pretentious hat of the same orange hue was over his head, adorned with several feathers of sparkling rainbow colors.
When the boy tipped his hat slightly, the woman could see a pair of mesmerizing green eyes, gleaming in the dark. She remained standing without even realizing that her running had ceased – and soon, her husband was behind her, approaching threateningly with his swinging bottle.
“YOU BITCH!! HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME RUN?!”
The woman didn’t seem to pay her husband any mind. Instead, her eyes remained locked with the boy’s before her.
He held out his hand with an expectant grin.
“Apparently, you.”
“You did something to me!”
“I did. I urged you to do what you wanted to do most.”
“No, that’s not true. There’s no way this is what I wanted. I...”
“Come, smile. Today’s supposed to be a joyous day, filled with laughter.”
As soon as the boy finished his sentence, an involuntary smile spread across the woman’s face. Her fear and horror soon melted away as she beamed back a motherly grin.
“There, isn’t that so much better? I’m sure your daughter appreciates it. Here, you can take her back.”
“Oh...thank...you...”
The woman retrieved her babe, cradling the little girl as she began to walk back home.
The boy remained standing in place with the woman’s abandoned husband, bleeding away in the middle of the street. Soon, the dogs and ravens would come to feast on his body.
The boy’s lips curved in a snarky grin as he looked to the warm corpse.
“Even I didn’t know she’d go THAT far. You’re quite the scum, aren’t you?”
The boy laughed at his own words as he crouched down, staring into the dead man’s lightless eyes. He solemnly closed their open eyes before turning around to leave.
“It was just a jest, my friend. I am a Clown – surely you understand.”