Image of a clown

Matt was in a real pisser, having to drag your four-year-old kid
brother along all day was no joke. The only way he'd been able to get
some much-needed dosh from his folks, was by agreeing to take Jack
along to the fair with him. Matt was not a happy man.

The travelling fair only came to town twice a year and all the local
youth looked forward to its arrival. Matt was just turned sixteen and
having to baby-sit the little arse was a blight on his otherwise worry
free life. He knew that having Jack with him in regard to pulling was a
double-edged sword. On the one hand it was great for reeling the birds
in. Once he had them, he knew it wouldn't be long before they succumbed
to the irresistible Matty charm. However, Jack's pretty blonde looks
and girlie curls had them in raptures. "Oh isn't he sweet? Isn't he
cute? Isn't he adorable, I could just eat him." And it had the added
bonus of giving the girlies the idea that he was a caring and sensitive
type of guy which in the 'getting into their knickers' game was no bad
thing. On the other hand, just ten minutes in the company of Mafia Jack
and they were offski down the road as fast as their platform shoes
would carry them.

Jack's two favourite words this week were 'tits' and 'bollocks'. He had
the limited vocabulary of your average four-year-old and yet his
ability to insert those two words into a multitude of sentences, on a
vast array of subjects, was worthy of the grudging respect of even his
elder brother. However, no matter how secretly 'cool' Matt thought the
kid's colourful language to be, alas the girls did not.

Matt had some great eye contact going with the girl on the hot-dog
stall. Two minutes ground work, a little time being attentive and
big-brotherly to Jack and she was his for the taking. She was, that is,
until Jack had to go and steal not only his thunder but also his
chances of a leg over that night.

"Now then sweetie" Said the glorious Lori as she leaned right out over
the kiosk counter, revealing her name tag and the fantastic alpine view
of a sweeping cleavage. "What would you like on your burger?" She
smiled that condescending smile that all girls on reaching puberty seem
to adopt when mushing over a small child. The one that doesn't leave
until they have kids of their own and realise what horrible little
shits they really are.

Oh no thought Matt he knew that look, he'd seen it before. You could
almost see the cogs turning in Jack's brain as he searched through his
repertoire for the most attention grabbing choice of word.

"Tits" said Jack, in a loud, clear, piping yet somehow angelic
voice.

"What?" Said Lori obviously and visibly shocked

"Tits!" Repeated Jack, only this time twice as loud. "You've got tits
and sweaty bollocks." Okay; so Matt had to admit to himself that Jack
had problems understanding the biological make-up of the female
anatomy, but he certainly knew how to get a girl's attention.

Anyway that was that! Matt considered himself lucky not to be wearing
his burger and yelled at Jack for the forty third time that afternoon
as they turned away. While Matt yelled Jack munched happily on his
burger and wore a tomato sauce and mustard smile.

Matt's mood only darkened as he watched his mates flying round on the
Waltzers. Some had already pulled and had an arm protectively round the
landed girl of their choice. As they posed and looked manly and macho,
the girls screamed and acted typically girlie. Once or twice Matt
caught sight of the tantalising triangle of exposed white panties as
one girl's short skirt rose high on her thighs when the waltzer car
threw her from side to side.

When Matt couldn't stand it any longer, he forced a rather dubious, but
none the less game for anything Jack on the Waltzer's with him and was
punished for this by having jack projectile vomit in a three hundred
and sixty-degree circle as the car spun. They left the Waltzer's with
Matt muttering apologies and headed in the direction of the public
toilets for a major clean up operation, Matt yelled. Jack already
feeling much better grinned and wore a vomit smile. He asked for
another burger.

As they went into the toilets Jack spotted a clown selling balloons by
one of the stalls. He wanted a balloon, he wanted a balloon so badly
that he said he might be sick again if he couldn't have one. All
through being wiped down with soggy paper towels he asked for a
balloon; and a burger and a candyfloss and another go on the
Waltzers.

"I need to pee," said Jack finally changing the conversation from his
shopping list of desperate needs.

"Oh for Christ sake Jack. I've just finished washing your hands, why
didn't you say before?" Said Matt shaking his head in
frustration.

"Didn't wanna go before. D'ya fink the clown wiv the balloons will
still be there?

"I don't know do I? Listen you go to the bog an` I'll wait outside and
have a fag. Okay?"

Matt waited until he heard the lock on the stall door slide into
position before heading outside. Whilst Jack sat on the toilet, with
his pants round his ankles and his feet that where nowhere near
touching the floor swinging. He sang, "Big tits and sweaty bollocks"
over and over again in an impossibly high pitched voice.

Matt stood just outside the toilet block and lit a cigarette. He wanted
to remain in view of the door in case Jack came out and didn't seem
him. He also wanted to see if anyone went into the toilets. Couldn't be
too careful with kids these days he told himself. Especially a kid like
Jack who despite constant warnings would insist on talking to anyone
and everyone he came into contact with.

As he inhaled deeply on his cigarette Sally Jones walked past.

"Hey Mattie how's it going mate? Coming on the speedway?"

"Hey Sal Good to see you. Nah I can't, kid brother's in the bog, got to
look after him"

They stood and talked for a couple of minutes and then Sally went off
towards the speedway ride. Matt watched her until she walked out of
sight. She was one fine lass. Damn the fact that he had the sprog. He
took the last drag on his fag and ground it aggressively into the grass
verge at his feet.

Thinking about Jack and pulling his mind away from Sally Jones' firm
buttocks, reminded Matt that the youngster hadn't appeared from the
toilets yet. What the hell was the kid up to now, he'd been ages. Bet
he's flooded the bloody bogs he thought as he went in to see if Jack
was ready.

The first thing that hit Matt as he went back into the toilets, was as
always the smell stale urine and even more stale disinfectant, it was
disgusting. The second thing that hit Matt was the silence. Jack had
stopped singing about tits and bollocks and the door to the stall that
he had been in was standing open. Jack was not in the toilets.

Matt was furious. This was just the last straw. He'd only been standing
outside the door waiting for him. Jack must have snuck past as he was
talking to Sally Jones.
Matt went outside and began to shout for Jack. He was nowhere to be
seen.

"`Scuse me love. Have you seen a little boy with blonde hair please" he
asked a lady walking towards the car park.

The lady crumpled her nose in thought. "Er yes I think I have seen a
little boy looking a bit lost. But don't you worry love he's with the
balloon seller. I expect the clown was taking him to the information
kiosk. It's just over there, next to the hook-a-duck."

"Oh that's brilliant, thank-you. I'll kill the little sod when I get
hold of him, wandering off like that."

Matt had been more annoyed than worried about Jack, Jack was one of
those kids that didn't get phased by much. Some four-year-olds on
finding themselves separated from their family would scream the place
down. Not Jack he'd just find something to amuse himself until his
family found him. Matt wasn't at all surprised that he had sneaked past
him to find the clown. 'What's the betting he's managed to con him out
of a balloon with his little boy lost act?' thought Matt with a wry
grin. He loved the little bugger, but my god he was a pain in the arse
sometimes.

Matt strode up to the information kiosk where yet another pretty girl
waited attendance on the impossible public. He adopted his most
charming smile and flashed his perfectly kept teeth at the young
girl.

"Scuse me darlin` Have you got my little brother here? Apparently the
clown was bringing him in this direction"

The girl looked confused, not least by the fact that it never failed to
amaze her that we caring, nurturing humans have such a vast ability to
lose our children. This would be the seventh lost kid today, luckily
the other six had all been rounded up and handed back to their
respective families.

"Er no love, there's no little kids here. When did he go
missing?"

Oh about ten minutes ago. A lady saw the clown with him and assumed he
was bringing him here"

"What clown?"

"You know the balloon seller dressed up as a clown? He was standing
near the hook-a-duck, over by the lavvies"

"I'm sorry but we don't have a clown," She reached under her counter
and came up with some papers that she quickly sorted through. "Yes I
thought so, Linda Weston and Jane Cross are on balloon sales this week.
She cracked a smile, now I admit Linda puts the slappy on with a
trowel, but she's no clown. Don't worry though We'll soon find your
brother. I'll take some details and get a message over the tanoy. We
usually find them within about five minutes. Here at Garson's
amusements we pride ourselves on great security and safety."

Matt felt the first stirrings of genuine worry. "Listen love, some
bloke dressed up as coco-the-fucking-clown was seen with my kid brother
and you'd better find him before I do. I know he works here because I
saw him myself. You know a clown, pasty make-up, goofy shoes, poor
fashion sense. Now either you find him right here right now. Or I
will"

"Okay. Okay I'm sure there's a simple explanation for this and we'll
get it sorted out. Now can you tell me your brother's name please and
what he's wearing?"

Matt went through Jack's details with the girl who constantly tried
reassuring him that Jack would soon be found. Matt was getting more and
more irate, and the minutes ticked by and still there was no sign of
Jack. Sheila the information girl put an urgent request over the tanoy
for Jack to be located and brought to the desk.

After ten minutes Jack had not been found and an almost autonomically
mechanical system of security went into operation. The park gates were
locked and security guards were places by each entrance and along the
perimeter of the park. All cars attempting to leave the town's park
were searched. Half the catering kiosks were shut down and a ground
force of staff searched the park and questioned the fair goers in an
attempt to find the missing boy.

Matt felt helpless. Sheila's constant pleasantries and words of
encouragement and confidence were irritating and he was ranting at her,
himself, and anybody else within ranting distance. A man walked over
and introduced himself as Billy Garson owner of the travelling fair.
Matt had someone he could really vent his frustrations on. He jumped
and swore at the fair owner, who in turn remained calm and polite and
offered the same assurance of confidence in his staff that Sheila
had.

"Confidence in your staff?" shouted Matt enraged "You don't even know
who you've got on your bloody staff. This girl didn't even know that
you had a clown"

Something altered in Bill Garson's expression. A look that may have
been fear passed across his eyes before being quickly replaced by his
former guarded expression.

His voice held a defensive note when he replied to Matt. "We don't have
a clown sonny. Haven't had one for over ten years"

"Well maybe someone ought to tell that to bilbo-fucking-baggins out
there because you have got a bloke on your fair ground running round
selling balloons to the kids looking for all the world like a clown to
me. And what's more Mr. Bloody Garson sir, he's got my little brother,
and I warn you arsehole, if he's harmed so much as one hair on my
brother's head&;#8230;"

Matt tailed off as a tense voice came over the tanoy.

"Boss you'd better get over to the wild mouse quick. Something weird's
going down. It's Jefferson. I swear, it's Jefferson boss."

Had not Matt been already out of the door and racing across the
fairground, he would have seen the fairman go as white as a clowns
make-up.

By the time Matt reached the wild mouse quite a crowd had gathered.
Matt followed their gazes up the huge wood and metal structure. On the
very top girder stood a clown, his big shoes hanging over the three
inches of angle iron on either side. He swayed a little struggling with
his balance. Standing next to him with his little hand in the clown's
big one was Jack.

"Jack! Jack! Hang in there mate, I'm coming to get you. You Bastard you
hurt him and I'll kill you. I mean it dog breath, you let him go"

The clown focused on Matt and just smiled. Then he continued to look
out among the crowd as though he was waiting for someone, as though it
was perfectly natural for him to be standing on the top of a
seventy-foot structure with three inches of cold iron between him and a
long fall.

Matt ran to the bottom of the wild mouse and started to climb. He
didn't give a second thought to the fact that he was terrified of
heights and that even walking on a thick carpet made him dizzy. He had
only just got his second foot off the ground when two large security
men pulled him down and wrestled him kicking and screaming to the
ground.

"Don't be a fool lad, don't you think we've already thought of that.
There's nothing to stop him throwing the kid if we go near him"

Matt crumpled all the fight gone out of him. He had icy cold sweat
running in rivers down the back of his neck. He said in a small voice
"And there's nothing to stop him if we don't."

"Leave it to us lad, we are professionals, you'll only make the
situation worse" Matt allowed himself to be led meekly to a side
stall.

The man standing behind the rifle range was sheet white and visibly
trembling as his eyes bore into that of the clown. "It's Jo-jo
Jefferson. No doubt about it. He was my best mate for fifteen years and
I'd know him with or without make-up" the man shook his head as if to
clear an obstinate fog that clouded his judgement. "But it can't be. It
can't be"

"Look mate" said Matt "If you know anything about this psycho that
might help then you'd better start spilling because that's my brother
up there."

The man seemed almost relieved to be able to release the words that
were struggling to get out of his mouth. He began to talk slowly and
monotonously as though he were in a daze.

"It all happened ten years ago. That was the last time we played this
town, haven't been back since `till now. Jo-jo `an me we shared a
trailer see, mates we was. He was the best clown alive. Held the kids
enthralled when he played his tricks and got up to his antics. He was a
good man you know a good man. Couldn't believe it at the time, but well
he was seen see? Seen runnin` away and seen by the kid." He shook his
head again "It doesn't make sense, he was a good man"

Matt's blood had turned to ice "What did he do?"

"Well one night after the fair had closed we all decided to go into
town for a drink. Jo-jo had a headache and said that he was going to
stay behind and go for a walk along the river before turning in. The
grounds were pretty much deserted except for the boss who was in his
office doing some paper work.
Anyway cutting a long story short the next morning a little kid's found
sitting by the river. All vacant and shocked you know, not speaking or
nuffin`" The man lowered his voice to an exaggerated whisper supported
by hand gestures. "He'd been messed with, you know down there. Later
like, when he'd `ad a cup a tea an` was feelin` better he gave a full
description of Jo-jo right down to the floppy shoes and shade of
lipstick. Boss corob. Coro, ah shit, boss said it was right '`cause
`ee'd seen Jo-jo runnin` across the fair yard 'bout the same time. The
fair was searched and blood was found from the kid in our trailer." The
man's voice tailed off and he looked nervously up at the clown on the
fair ride as though he couldn't believe his eyes.

"That's not it all is it? I can tell there's something you're not
telling me. What is it?"
Asked Matt
"You're damned right there's something else lad, and that's what doing
`me `ead in now. Two days later Jo-jo hung himself from the top girder
of the wild mouse. Cut `im down meself I did,`an it was `im all
right."

At that moment Garson came huffing and puffing up to the ride. As Matt
and the crowed looked on, something in the clown's attitude altered he
straightened up and stared down on the portly man.

Garson was deathly white and looked as though he might pas out at any
moment. "Let me send some men up for the boy Jefferson, you know this
is not the answer. Let the past rest man. It's over, go back to where
you came from and let it be done."

Jack's voice was clear and sharp when he next spoke. The crowed were
silent despite the police having closed in around them. The officers
were in the process of closing the park and getting the fairgoers out.
A core of fair personnel still gathered in a tight group at the foot of
the Wild Mouse. Many of them dated back to the time of Jo-jo Jefferson
and the excited mingle of voices instantly froze as Jack spoke.

"He says he won't hurt me. He's nice and I can come down now, but he
wants everybody to know the truth." Jack fell silent for a second and
tilted his head towards Jefferson. He may have been listening to words
spoken by the clown that only he could hear or may have been getting
the clown's information some other way but his head was turned toward
Jo-jo in a pose of concentration.

"He says he's innocent" continued Jack "He never hurt that little boy,
but he knows who did and he wants that man to come forward now so that
Jo-jo can clear his name"

At that moment bedlam erupted. A scream went up from the crowd as a
lady was pushed to the ground. Garson grabbed Lori the hot-dog seller
from behind and held a long bladed knife to her throat. The police
backed off forming a semi-circle round the fairowner and his
hostage.

"Let me go now, or so help me God I'll kill her. I've got nothing to
lose. I want a bag stuffing with used notes from all the vending booths
and rides and I want a car and a clear four hours to get away. That's
the deal gentlemen or I'll cut the girl from ear to ear"
Lori whimpered quietly and tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped
off the cold steel of the knife at her throat.

"Okay Mr. Garson. I'm Chief Superintendent grey and I'm prepared to
talk this through with you."

Garson's eyes darted from one police officer to the next and saw that
he was cornered. He was sweating and his blue shirt developed a large
oily looking stain under each armpit and down the centre of his back.
He was a desperate man in a desperate situation and the knife began to
shake uncontrollably in his hand. He tightened his grip both on Lori
and the knife and a thin drizzle of bright red capillary blood oozed
down between the girl's breasts.
"Let the girl go Garson" shouted Grey

"I can't can I? I've had it. Cornered and trapped, so you meet my
demands inspector, or I'll have no choice but to kill the girl, and
then hopefully if I have time, myself as well, I swear to you here and
now though that it was only ever the one time. My God how I hated
myself for it and despite the urges I have never once touched a kid
before or since." Garson raised his eyes to the clown on top of the
ride. "I'm so sorry Joey, I never really meant for you to be blamed,
but you see I looked out of the window and saw the curious kid looking
through the windows of your trailer. Your spare clown gear was hanging
in my office back from the cleaners, and Joey I swear to you it just
happened that way." Garson was sobbing but still held Lori as firmly as
before.

"He says rot in hell" Said Jack and then he paused momentarily before
adding "You scummy rat's bollocks"
The police continued to reason with Garson, but the man was becoming
more and more hysterical. If they didn't find a way to get to Lori soon
he would act out of desperation. He had already said he had nothing to
lose.

Something somewhere near the end of Garson's tether snapped everyone
assembled sensed that this was it. He moved the point of the blade into
the cleft of Lori's throat. Then he looked up at Jefferson
"You pushed me to this. This one's for you Jo-jo"
His arm tensed and there was an almighty crack as he fell to his knees.
Lori feeling the knife go slack, at once twisted away from his grip.
She stumbled as he fell and became entangled in his arms and legs, but
then she was free and running across to the waiting police officers
with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Garson rolled on the ground screaming in pain and clutching his right
thigh as a pond of dark red arterial blood splurged in an arc from the
gun shot wound.

The man from the rifle range walked over to the nearest policeman and
handed over the spent pistol. In the confusion he had run to Garson's
office where he knew a browning was kept in the drawer. He had shot the
fair owner in the leg with his own gun.

Two security men were already scaling the ride to get Jack. Somehow
they knew that there was no longer any threat of danger. Two more
security men were holding back a determined Matt.

The rifle range man looked up at Jo-jo Jefferson and raised his right
hand in salute. "That one was for you my friend"

The climbers were nearing the top of the ride and all eyes were turned
on them and the clown. The sun unexpectedly came from behind a cloud
and glinted off the girders of the ride, momentarily blinding everyone
on the ground below. The intense glare only lasted a matter of seconds.
When they could see, the men were clambering over the top girder and
taking a firm hold of Jack. The clown was gone.

Jack and Matt were taken home in a police car. Although he said he was
never even a little bit scared because the clown had been very nice to
him and promised all along that he wouldn't hurt him, the emotion of
the day had all become too much for Jack and he rested in Matt's arms
and cried quietly. Matt wasn't crying so quietly and sobbed openly as
he held his brother tightly.

Jack explained that although it looked scary he had never been in any
danger, because the clown was 'magic' and that they had "Sort of flown"
up to the top of the ride. Jo-jo was his friend he said and had asked
him first if he would help him. "You see Matt" Jack explained "He knew
it would worry you but he had to do it to make Mr. Garson tell the
truth, and he held my hand real tight all the time. I like Jo-jo. Do
you like Jo-jo Matt?"

When he could speak he said. "Hey bro' you've got big tits and sweaty
bollocks. And yes, I suppose Jo-jo's one of the good guy's. But I
gotta` tell you now little man if he ever takes you up on anything like
that again I'll..&;#8230;."

Jack turned his face towards his brother. He had two brown rivers of
muck flowing down his otherwise angelic cheeks, and he was grinning
widely.

"Dog breath" he said to his brother giving his latest phrase its first
public airing."

"Oh Mum is just going to love that one" Said Matt grinning back.