The Clown Man
The most awkward thing happened a year ago at the bar across the street from the Sassafras County Carnival. A not so funny clown steps in. He was wearing a multi-colored satin outfit with several red shiny balls. They were hanging from his chest, acting as the buttons holding his ripped, sleeveless, brown leather jacket together. The coat seemed small and tight, revealing the satin outfit from underneath the rips and cracks. His hair, well, it was a mess. Mixed colors of green, red, and yellow tones running from bright to pale on the color spectrum. His white make-up seemed partially washed off. His shoes were also made of what appeared to be the same material as the leather jacket. However, they looked new.
The clown proceeds to walk towards the bar, dragging his right foot as if he had a sprain, and utters one word to the bartender..."Twirl". The young male bartender turns and immediately takes a small step back when he sees the clown man's semblance. " Um, wrong bar, dude." said the barkeep, with a confused tone in his voice. The clown man stares at the juvenile bartender intensely for several seconds. He then serves him a small creepy smirk, turns towards the door, and limps away.
Not ten minutes go by when the clown man returns, only this time he was different. He had an unsavory smell of rotten eggs mixed with apple cinnamon. In one hand, he held a bottle with what appears to be oxidized wine, and on the other, a brilliant and perfectly round red apple. His face wasn't the same, either. He was wearing an incomplete mask made of leather and thin strings of silk running down the front.
The clown man once again limped towards the bartender, only this time, he did not tell him to twirl; instead, he extended both hands. The young man, without a thought, took the apple and the bottle. He took one bite of the apple and several sips from the bottle. Red thick wine poured down his neck as he was drinking hastily. The young barkeep later turned and walked towards the stock room. The clown man, with a giant grin on his face, took a sip from the wine, twirled, and exited the bar without a limp.
No one knows what happened that night. The Bartender and The Clown Man were never found or heard from again. Controversial conspiracies and stories have been made, but no one truly knows what happened. Tomorrow, the county will be hosting its annual carnival once again. Will the Clown Man make an appearance?