Tales of Enchantment

The Clown No. 1

It's party time.

Knock knock.

The mom answers the door in her pink sundress on what would be a cloudy day, but her house is decorated in colorful streamers and balloons. She looks down at her porch step and sees...the clown?

A small, white-furred goat with little red horns and a black bowtie. It had a skinny devil tail and greasepaint on its face, complete with a big red nose.

"Howdy there, ma'am," the clown clicked its hooves. "Is this the house of the party?"

"Um, yes, there is a party here," the mom said cautiously. "Are you-"

"The clown?" the demon said. "Of course, I am. You're right!" He smiled like a buckaroo. "May I come in?"

"Uh," the mom thought, and the whines of the children wanting entertainment changed her mind fast. "Yes, you may."

The clown tapped his way in with a big bag of props and invited himself to the festivities. The walls had rainbow banners, balloons in every corner, and a table full of beautifully wrapped presents. "You sure do know how to decorate," the clown said. "What a lovely home."

The children who sat by the couch in two rows, half sitting and half on the floor, caught sight of the clown and must have thought he was part of a petting zoo. They all jumped for him with wild laughter.

"So cute!"

"Cute doggy!"

"I want 'em!"

They tugged on his fur and pulled on his tail. They hugged him and brushed him with their sticky fingers.

"Now, now, children," the clown smiled and blushed through it all. He reached into his prop bag. "I have a special treat for you all." He pulled out a guitar and listened to them gasp. "If you'd kindly sit down," he asked, and the children happily obeyed if they could hear a singing goat.

The clown tuned his guitar and started playing a soft melody. But as his song went on, it became sadder, more morbid. The clown, eyes closed and lost in the music, smiled as if he enjoyed this sad, somber tune.

"Wah!" the children cried bursting into tears. It startled the clown, who was soon pulled into the kitchen by the mother.

"What are you doing?" she asked all in a fret.

"I'm just playing my music," he said.

"You can't play that to children. It'll make them sad. You need to make them laugh. It's a birthday," the mom hastily explained. "Be funny, please."

"Funny? Okay," the clown tried to think. He marched back into the party, but on his way, his foot got tangled in a streamer left on the floor, so instead of walking, he tumbled back into the party.

Everything was quiet until one of the children let out a tiny giggle. The clown got up and saw another streamer on the floor. He stepped and slipped on it, falling back on his rear end. Another child started to laugh as well. The clown smiled big and pulled three pins out of his bag. He juggled for a minute and then let the pins fall on his head. More children were beginning to laugh. As they did, the clown quickly thought of more ways he could harm himself for fun. He danced and slipped, tumbled and fell. He did cartwheels, somersaults, and jazz hands.

"How about we hear another song?" the clown suggested, receiving a loud "Boo!" from the children. "This time, I'll make it a happy one."

He got out his guitar and played a jaunty, joyful tune as he jumped around and danced. This the children actually enjoyed. By the end of the clown's show, he had them all applauding for more.

"Thank you for coming," the mom said once the party was well and done.

"Thank you again for having me," the clown pretended to tip a hat as he took himself and his bag outside. The sky had just cleared up to see a gorgeous sun making its bed for the night. "Sorry things got off to a rocky start, but I'm glad it worked out."

"That's good," the mom smiled. "Say, you look a lot different than the clown in the advertisement."

"Oh, I didn't come from an ad," the clown chuckled. "I go where I must until I come no more," he claimed. The mother raised an eyebrow. "Just know that this party was for a good cause."

"Okay," the mom snickered. "How much do I owe you?"

"No need," the clown pushed away her wallet. "I work for experience. No pay required."

"Now, I can get behind that," she said.

They laughed together and said their farewells.

The clown trotted down the street, having more parties to go to. But one thing he learned was that he should choose his music carefully for next time.