Scary clown story: Everyone knew where they were the day they came to town. The carnival music could be heard from miles around as the procession of brightly painted caravans rolled down Maine Street. They appeared as if from nowhere late one-afternoon lighting up the sky with fireworks, by morning they looked set to stay. A huge red and yellow Big Top tent now firmly sat in the town square, with all the caravans selling trinkets and toys surrounding it, various animals in cages filled the side streets.
People from around town were drawn to the exciting sounds and attractions that had mysteriously turned up overnight. As they approached the new spectacle they were met by the Ringmaster, a towering vision of a man who didn’t need a box or stool to stand on to see over everybody. His face painted like a clown and dressed head to toe like an elaborate Ringmaster, it was hard to not notice him instantly. One thing was for sure without a doubt, he was in charge, he naturally drew everyone’s attention when he spoke, his voice bellowed over the bustling crowd.
“Come one, come all!” He announced
“Step right up to the magnificent, the amazing, the wondrous; the one-stop no holds barred fun and frenzy for all the family… Crazy Ivan’s travelling
Funland!!! I Aaaaaaand I’m Crazy Ivan!” The clown Ringmaster exclaimed
The townspeople spent the rest of the night watching jugglers, performing animals, and listening to random intervals by Crazy Ivan himself, spinning some tale about each act before they began and just generally enjoying the circus that had come to town.
When morning came the town square once again filled with the townspeople, this time though in search of a little boy who had gone missing the night before Just after leaving the circus. Naturally everyone accused the circus folk but Ivan, who remained in his clown Ringmaster costume, offered the people the chance to search everywhere they wanted within the caravans and big top tent.
After an extensive search the boy was still not found, and Ivan offered the Townspeople a free night at the circus for anyone who wished to return that night in Hopes of keeping their good faith the circus wasn’t involved. So, like the night before, Ivan stood at the entrance and beckoned the people into the circus, although cheer could be heard in his voice something in his eyes told a different story… an almost hunger as he watched over the attendees.
People soon began to relax as the night went on, Ivan introduced the animal man, a member of his circus tattooed to look like a cheetah, the acrobats and as the same as last night he closed the show with his very own clown act. His act was like most typical clown acts, lots of audience interaction, cream pie gags and silly props.
There was one part of Ivan’s act, that after the incident of the still missing boy, felt out of place compared to the rest of the act. After a series of jokes at the audience’s expense, Ivan would stalk along the front few rows silently and stop dead in his tracks, choose someone and point at them while saying;
“You’ll do perfectly”
While smiling from ear to ear he would usher them out of the crowd into the ring alongside him. He would then perform the final part of his routine with that audience member before wishing everyone a safe journey home and closing for the night. The atmosphere as everyone left was that of the one you would expect from the circus. As everyone left Ivan stood silently waving everyone off as they made their way home.
Once again the townspeople were awoken by the screams of distressed parents, another child had gone missing. Once again the circus was searched with no success, the two missing people were not to be found. Ivan looked… different this morning, no longer the cheery expression and helpful nature, these traits were replaced with a surly, angry man agitated at being accused again of something he claimed to not know of. He soon ushered the people out of his circus and promised by morning they would all be gone.
Little did the townspeople know he meant it was them who would be gone, and not the circus.
This would be the ideal time to tell you about Billy, Billy hated the circus. Always has ever since his father took him to one when he was 4 years old and a clown scared the life out of him! So when Crazy Ivan’s appeared he was less than impressed to learn they were here to stay for a few days. The first night Billy stayed in his house, not wanting to explore the new amusements that had shown up in the town square.
The morning after he joined the searches hoping they would link it to the circus, forcing them out of the town again but Billy wasn’t that lucky. The second night Billy decided to do a bit of surveillance on the circus and when better than while it was in full swing.
As the crowd cheered and clapped as the acrobats did their best to amaze, Billy climbed over the fence into the private section of the circus, where the acts lived while in town. Billy was careful not to be seen as he made his way through the caravans looking for any kind of evidence of wrongdoings…
That’s when he stumbled across Ivan’s caravan. The acts must have been in full swing by now as the crowd was getting louder and louder, Billy began to drown out the noise by focusing on searching the caravan.
He came across paper clippings going back quite a few years, all reports of missing persons unsolved, there must have been hundreds of them each one more discolored and torn than the one before.
The noise from the crowd began to dwindle to nothing, Billy didn’t notice as he continued to search the caravan. It was now silent outside, the final act had finished yet Billy, still determined to find something carried on with his search. As he made his way through the last few drawers and cabinets the natural light coming through the door was obscured. Spinning around Billy was met face to face with Ivan the Clown Ringmaster, who had a lifeless… object thrown over his shoulder, grinning menacingly at him.
Letting out a surprised Yelp he pushed past Ivan and ran off into the night while Ivan just stood there and laughed, Billy didn’t stop running until he’d reached the other side of town where he lived and although he had been running for what seemed like forever that clowns sickening laughter still bounced around his head.
Billy pleaded with anyone who would listen that they needed to go back and check the caravans after the second night but everybody was more concerned with the second person who had gone missing. Billy’s pleas went unanswered.
That night no one went to the circus, Ivan remained in the entryway beckoning people to come close but nobody obliged. The look on Ivan’s face slowly went from joyful clown to that of a maniac. He ushered the circus folk around him, stirring them into a frenzy as he stuck to the script with a slight twist, if only people had heard him before it was too late.
While Ivan was rallying his people around him, Billy once again slipped into the private quarters unnoticed. As he had searched the caravans last night he decided to search the Big Top tent and animal enclosures. The townsfolk were lucky no one chose to go to the circus that night by what Billy was met with when he entered that tent. The arena floor was mottled with blood and dirt; it looked more like a bullfight had happened rather than a family-friendly circus, what the hell had happened here?
Billy stepped back in shock, back out the tent, and headed towards the caged animals. As he walked down the alleyway where all the animals were kept a sense of tension filled the air. Peering into each cage one by one the animals all looked petrified. The monkeys were huddled in a corner, the tiger paced anxiously and the elephants were forming a half-circle around their young bunched up in a corner. Billy was confused by the sight before him, what could cause this he wondered, as if asking that question out loud a noise broke into his thoughts and disrupted him. Slowly edging to the end of the row of cages there was one cage left… the cheetah man.
As the cage came into view at first all Billy could see was the back of the man, clothed in nothing but a loincloth, his cheetah patterned tattooed skin lit by the moonlight. Huddled over gnawing on something he didn’t notice Billy approaching. Billy gagged as he grew closer to the cage; the smell was overpowering, and placing his hands on the bars he tiptoed for a better view.
As he looked over the shoulder of the cheetah man he gagged once again, lay before the cheetah man was the dismembered bodies of the two missing people, bite marks and clawed ripped flesh-covered their torsos. Billy was frozen in fear, so much so he didn’t notice the cheetah man unlock his cage. Billy felt the hot wet breath of the cheetah man on his neck just before he pounced…
So, I guess you are wondering what exactly did Ivan change his little scripted speech to? Well I couldn’t very well let you go without telling you could I?
“Step right up to the murderous, the abomination, the wicked; the one-stop no holds barred freaks and frenzied cannibals here for all your family… Crazy Ivan’s Travelling Freakshow!”
“You can run and hide, but we’ll find you, each….and…..every…..one of you…
Aaaaaaand I’m Crazy Ivan!” The clown Ringmaster exclaimed
So, if you ever hear a traveling circus on the horizon, a parade of caravans or see a clown Ringmaster just know… it’s too late for you, so just enjoy the show…
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