Madcap's Clown

“Has anyone seen my eyes?” A drowsy voice cried out in the midst of the busy crowd, Sully dropped his checklist and called back out, “Zook, is that you?”

A dwarfish figure beside him spoke, “No I’ve got mine” He pointed to his eyeballs from which slime seem to droop. 

Sully pushed among the midst of the bubbling group, tripping and falling to his feet when he finally spotted a pair of purple eyeballs bouncing in circles.

He shook his head and caught them tight, “Here you go Dunkin.”

Turning back he looked at the evanescent magic that controlled it and stomped towards the culprit who laid lazily on the cemetery bed, her silver spun-out hair wrapped around her like a blanket, eyes squeezed shut and a low whistle that fell out.

“Ruby!”

He caught a resistance on her face and shook her until she resigned and stood straight, her broom fizzled at her feet.

“I believe there was a task that was given to you, a time-consuming one.” He muttered as his hands fell on his hips.

“I have already made the lightning and cloud shapes you asked for.” She glared.

“Well, it needs to be perfect, not like the last night’s.” He pushed her resisting shoulders, “Get on now, Halloween is tomorrow! “He threw into a fit of giggles at the thought of it while she grunted.

“As you wish, Madcap Eve’s sweetest clown.”

A horn sounded and a lull filled them and the rest of the others as they looked toward the towering figure who stood in his large cloak and grotesquely smile.

“Tomorrow as we will pass through the realm to the human world, it will be a night that we have truly waited 365 days for.”

Halloween!” Someone cried out and everybody cheered.

“Yes, and this year is special because our scariest clown Sully, the master planner has found a new way we could stay longer after midnight with the craziest pranks planned ever.” 

Sully bowed as the monsters cheered, and his boss, Vic continued, “Remember, we are to have fun and only frighten them, no blood or gore.” The crowd nodded in restrain. “Now, “ He paused,” Happy Haunting!”

The crowd sang into a cheer and set off for the night.

Sully scurried on his feet, as Vic waved him over, “My dearest friend, we trust everything in your hands this year.”

With his mouth curved into a beaming smile, “You got it, boss. Our holiday is going to beat Christmas this time.”

Zook passed by and poked an object at Sully, “Here you go Sully, the crown you asked for.”

Sully quickly took the crown and slid it into his bag laughing nervously.

“It’s awfully small for anyone here though,” Zook commented while Sully shoved him away.

As he stepped into his lair later that night, he painted the leaves and dead flowers that wrapped tightly around the stem, as he placed it carefully into his satchel.

This year is different, he thought as there was a bigger reason apart from Halloween.

Traveling on the orange sunbeam that merged into the town on earth, the monsters rolled in excitement at their one day of spooky fun. The town’s festivities surpassed the monsters’ expectations, bright-lit pumpkins hung at the nook of every home, trick or treaters of all sizes, Halloween parties of all ages as if seeming to welcome them.

The ghouls howled in the air, Dracula and Goblins with their sardonic smiles made their way to playhouses and town theaters, the werewolves and boogeyman joined the trick or treaters that frolicked on the street, with all their candy.

 Sully blended in the most, as his bone-white skin with rainbow dots complimented his flamboyant clown suit and a wide smile that did not know how to leave his face.

Wandering at the town fair, he watched the little ones jump in the arms of the bigger humans, their eyes matching their smiles. Despite Madcap Eve’s disgust for humans, he simply came to adore them. Pulling the colorful leaved crown out of his satchel, his glowing white eyes gleamed as he couldn’t wait to meet the human friend he was to gift it to.

He remembered the first time he met the child last Halloween when he had unintentionally interrupted a seance where children blubbered and called out to the ceiling. He squealed at their fun, which led them to look at him, his aggravating colorful figure and a maniacally smiley face. All of them ran away screaming except one.

Her smile and warmth filled his heart as they spent that Halloween singing and pranking all the people she despised. Promising to meet in another year, he wiped her tears and poked at his cheeks bringing her to giggles.

The sound of laughter woke Sully back to the present as he watched them leave him bereft.

After monitoring the monsters at the haunted house, he sat beside the pavement watching the house of brightly lit orange pumpkins. Peering at the human clock that stood at the center of the town, he rested his eyes and when he looked back at the pumpkin house, his eyes widened. The color that embalmed the pumpkins was a light blue shade now with round gleaming eyes and a plain smile.

Ding-a-ling. The clock chimed.

Shaking his confusion, he set off to the lane to continue his tasks.

With music blaring from the houses, he heard plenty of laughter instead of the expectant screams. 

His jaw dropped at the sight, The centipede twins looks different, more fluffy, and were stuck to the ground, where children played around them.

The boogeyman was found dozing off at the corner beside the dumpster. 

Why isn’t anyone spooked?

In frustration, he yelled out a scream which had the children running off in fear from the twins.

“What happened? Why do you look so plain?”

“We can’t move Sully. My slimy skin is now this weird soft skin and our faces have changed.”

“But that’s not possible.“ he attempted to lift them.

Looking around, it still looked like the sight of Halloween, but that was it. The violet sky was clear and it lacked the spook that they came with.

“Sully,” the gnome cried out as he spotted him, “I have been ignored all evening by these humans.”

“Zook, look at you, you’re translucent, almost invisible.”

Sully felt something was odd when he looked at his usually scary friends adored by the humans, the invisibility of some, the lack of howling weather, it hit him.

Huffing air into his red balloon, he flew in the air calling out in the cloudless sky.

“Ruby, where are you?”

He looked down to see that half the town did not even have any Halloween fear, in their normal clothes and sullen expressions.

He called out again, “I know it’s you who is behind this.” Starting to fly towards the moon, he stopped when he heard a notorious giggle.

“My expensive lightning and monster clouds! Ruby please, come out now and I won’t be mad at you.”

“Really?” A voice hushed around him.

“Yes, really.” Ruby I-“ he stuttered as he spotted the witch.

His smile was longer able to hang up, “All that mischief and ridiculous magic, it has your name plastered over it.”

“Oh, Sully I hate to see your always upturned smile so low.” She smirked.

Hanging on his red balloon, he watched her lie on her broom, barely touching, mockingly since she didn't need it really.

“We spent a whole year for this day. I’m sorry Ruby, but” he paused as he cleared his throat, “I will have to report you to Vic.”

“Report me?” Her eyebrows raised.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, he looked back at the clock, “Maybe, if we go back now, we can fix everything, and then I won’t say anything.”

Ruby threw her head back in laughter leaving Sully puzzled.

“Oh you funny clown, yes, please do go report to the very god that had me do this.”

He paused, wondering if he heard her right.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the great Vic that you are so fond of. The same crook who had me do this.”

Spluttering he said, “Ruby, I will not hear any of this.” He turned and pulled on the balloon to bring him lower.

“Think about it.” Her voice now carried a serious tone.

Sully paused as he did not turn to face her.

“Even when it was us three, who was the one who took your ideas and sneakily got the title of a God.”

Ding-a-ling. The clock struck after midnight.

“I’ve got to go and fix this at least.” He solemnly took out the crown and placed it back, knowing he was not going to meet the child.

As he floated down slowly, a broom flew beside him.

“Use this to meet her.” said her voice.

Sully stopped in his tracks and looked at the rueful witch.

“I just know." she resigned as she flew back to the center," I’ll reverse some of the things I did," with that the sky was filled back with monster-shaped clouds and bolts of lightning.

He looked back at her, “I’ll help.” He saw her fight a smile and they began to work.

After a couple of spells, he heard a couple of their friends cry out, “Sully they can see us now.”

And with the Halloween spook that returned in the air, the townspeople felt the eerie atmosphere, and with the burst of screams that blasted, Sully let out a slow smile.

At the end of their fun, it was eventually time to go back. They gathered on the moonbeam, with their smug faces.

Sully watched them and he imagined as they would return, Titan’s happy face, his unsmiling eyes, his stiff hands, and his overbearing appreciation.

He had time to think of the many years they worked at the cemetery together, then getting promoted to work in the Madcap’s Eve and the many acts that he let slide.

“Sully, the colorful dots on your skin have paled.” Zook gasped.

He looked at his hands, “Yes, all gone.”

They began to walk upwards on the beam, reading to walk over before the light disappeared. Sully stood on the moon, his translucent figure camouflaged with the dark sky.

Ruby turned to look at him, “Aren’t you coming?”

Ding-a-ling. He heard the clock strike.

“I’m sorry my friends. But I must stay.”

Their voices spoke over each other in the chaos.

“But if you stay here, you will truly be invisible, no one will be able to see you,” they cried out.

“But it's not too late,” his mouth formed a tight smile as he took out his balloon and jumped off the moonbeam path.

He had lesser time than he had before and wondered how long it would take for him to reach on earth.

A buzz rang at his ear and he turned to see a shimmering broom beside him.

With a giggle, he sat on it, and with a whoosh, it flew down to earth and he was right where he was supposed to be.

Trodding lightly to the house, his face broke into a grin as he spotted the girl sleeping on her knees at the window of her bedroom.

Knocking with his knuckles at the window, the girl’s eyes opened wide as he waved with a toothy grin.

A scream followed her as she stood up and walked backward.

“No Emma it’s Sully. Don’t be scared. Here is the crown I promised I would make you.”

But she paid no heed.

Sully was unaware that in the human world, little children that passed to the age of young adulthood, would forget all the inhuman friends they had once made.

He persisted,” Remember, We spent last Halloween knocking on people’s doors and eating pumpkin treats.”

But it was too late as all the lights in the house were switched on and the girl’s screaming did not cease. Dumbfounded, he felt his feet fall back and made a run for it hiding behind a tree. Soon enough a group of people stepped out and flashed torches, he felt the footsteps right behind him. His chest heaved up and down. 

The steps were right by his ear and a flash flashed at him. He closes his eyes frightened.

“I’m saying the truth here. This really ugly-looking clown had come at my window.”

The remaining children laughed as they looked around. 

“What’s with this holiday anyway. If it were to me I’d banish it.”

Hurt filled him and he could not take it anymore. Stepping out of the tree, he yelled out the biggest cackle ever made, his jaws dropping as low as his hands.

Horror filled the throats of the children as they fled.

Letting out a loud sigh, he looked at the sky where the moonbeam had vanished along with the monsters.

He remembered what they said about humans, that despite their appearance they were horrible and meaner than of all creatures.

So he left, walking up to a hill, his upturned lips quivering while he held himself. Unlike the humans who were given tears, he didn't have any. So he just whimpered and looked at the celestial moon that stood close sleeping away and becoming more translucent. 

However, his whimpers had turned to howls and then his fists curled as he let go and finally sobbed into his hands.

Both his worlds betrayed him and now he felt nothing but anger, an emotion he seemed to have newly acquired or simply noticed.

“If only the little human stayed little.”

He looked up to see Ruby floating in the sky with her long silver hair glowering with the moon.

“Now don’t look at me like that, I simply came for my broom.” She wiggled her nose as the broom beside him shook and flew to her hands.

“But how did you come back-“ he paused and then realized.

“You stayed?”

She dusted her hands as she sat beside him, “Yes, I did.”

Neither spoke for moments as they watched the moon float further away.

“You were right about people.” Sully’s grimly nodded.

“I’m not so sure. It’s getting really dark isn’t it?”

“Sometimes in the dark, it’s easier to see.” Sully let out a sigh as he looked at his hands, the rainbow colors now no more.

“So we’re stuck now,” Ruby spoke as she twirled her fingers at the stars.

“For another 365 days.”

“And after that?” 

“We will rightfully take our place at Madcap’s Eve.” Sully held out his palm to which Ruby gleefully placed hers.

As the night passed, they looked into each other’s twinkling eyes and smiled, the one where their eyes crinkled, one of rarity that they only held for each other.