Perry the Clown

Perry the Clown

A Story by Eliot Knight
"

Short story.

"
Perry the Clown


Perry the clown wasn't like other clowns at the circus, he could never make the audience laugh as the other clowns did. Perry was a short guy in his 40's with a double cheeseburger belly and extra fries chin. It wasn't so much that he couldn't make the crowd roar with laughter, it was always unintentional and always at him rather than because of him. I suppose that's what did it- drove Perry the clown to jump off the acrobat's platform, breaking his neck in the fall and so came to end the miserable life of Perry the clown. But our story doesn't begin there, it begins much later, 30 so years later after the reopening of the Marvellous circus. The decision was made by the son of the late owner, sensing profit and ignoring superstition. It was the first opening night when Perry the clown was spotted atop the platform, diving in showmanship and disappearing before hitting the ground. The crowd cheered in awe and Perry the clown became the most popular 'act' the circus had to offer. That was until it grew old and people no longer found amusement in the death defying clown.
Eventually the crowd faded and with it, the circus' charm. 
As is the undeniable truth, all that lives must die and all that dies must be forgotten. Hence was the case with Perry the clown. He was soon forgotten and never seen again. The Marvellous circus has been shut down ever since with little to no interest in its revival. Perhaps one day someone will reopen it and perhaps Perry the clown will reappear, to entertain the crowds again.

© 2015 Eliot Knight


Author's Note

Eliot Knight
Any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes are welcome.

My Review

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Reviews

This was a great short story. Definitely had an unexpected tone and twists. Very enjoyable read. Stay inspired! :)

Posted 7 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

7 Years Ago

Thankyou Andronicus !
Hello Eliot,

This read like some sort of campfire story. I found the name Perry interesting, if I recall correctly Stephen King's IT was named Perry as well, which made me believe that the ghost had a remarkable career switch somewhere. But to be quite honest, this story is no more than campfire material up until now. We do not really get to know the clown and therefore do not yet really care for what happens in this 'brief history of Perry the Clown'. You see I use the word 'yet' because I do believe the theme is interesting enough to turn into a longer story. One with dialogue, characters, plot twists and tension. If you feel the same, why not give it a go? I would be glad to review it if you do.


Regards,

Sesame

@followsesame on Twitter
www.themagiccave.com


Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

You are right about it being a short story, I have no intention of extending it. Thanks for the revi.. read more
I read this despite my fear of clowns. I thought that the story would be scary or meant to be of the horror genre but this was a sad little story. Though it was sad it was a very good story and I really enjoyed your nostalgic tone.

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

My sister is afraid of clowns so I know that must have been some gamble, I appreciate you reading my.. read more
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i thought this was gonna be really creepy. but it turned out to be kind of sad. i enjoyed this very much :) great job

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

Thanks, I'm glad you like it.
You've done a great job in this story. Way to go!

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
(Perry was a short guy in his 40's) You might consider making him a short man in his 40's.
"a double cheeseburger belly and extra fries chin" What a great line, I still have images you evoked with your powers of description stuck in my mind of them. I want to thank Alondra T. N. for the read request, it was a pleasure reading this and I look forward to reading more of your work :~)

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

7 Years Ago

ahh thankyou so much for clarifying!
@Bear: man and guy set two very different tones, guy go.. read more
Bear

7 Years Ago

I am so sorry for taking so long to respond, for some reason I did not receive an email letting me k.. read more
Eliot Knight

7 Years Ago

I actually don't want to personalise him at all, I wan't him to be just another person in this world.. read more
I enjoyed the tale. Old world circus is gone. Clowns, animals and pure entertainment. Memories of the past. I enjoyed the set-up of the story and the story line. I did like the open ending. Thank you for sharing the excellent story.
Coyote

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

Yeah, I always found the circus pitifully beautiful. Thankyou for the review!
Coyote Poetry

8 Years Ago

Me too. Now kids don't enjoy. Light show and less humor.
I really like this. One of the best stories that I have read.

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

You are too kind, thankyou!
justdandy

8 Years Ago

All I am saying is the truth
Original, clever story!
Good work!!!

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

Thanks a lot Terry!
All while reading this, I was thinking it was gonna be some creepypasta(scary story basically) type thing, but it was actually really enjoyable. I think you might want to describe a few details a bit more, like why did the crowd laugh at him, rather than with him? Other than that, I think you did an excellent job writing a short story, and I didn't seem to notice any grammatical/spelling errors. Thanks for posting!

Posted 8 Years Ago


Eliot Knight

8 Years Ago

Yes, you're right, a little more description would be wonderful though to be frank, I enjoy ambiguit.. read more

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638 Views
16 Reviews
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Shelved in 1 Library
Added on September 15, 2015
Last Updated on September 15, 2015
Tags: clown, sad, horror, fiction

Author

Eliot Knight
Eliot Knight

Riyadh , Saudi Arabia



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