The Guild of Fallen Clowns (45 page)

*****

Inside the pizza shop, Joe removed his apron
and headed toward the door. Jamie stopped in the middle of folding
a box to watch. Without looking back, Joe said, “If I’m not back in
an hour, close up.” Jamie didn’t have time to ask any questions
before the door closed behind Joe.

*****

The party was already in full gear in the
back yard. As Alan and Lyle walked to the side of the house, Alan
instructed Lyle to hide his Poppy in the large pocket on his
costume. He did the same with his Poppy. As they neared the back of
the house, Paula rounded the corner and collided with Alan. The
sight of two clowns resulted in a sudden shriek.

“Oh my god, Alan, you scared me to death,”
Paula said.

“I’m sorry, Paula. We should have taken a
wider path.”

“No, it’s okay. I just need to catch my
breath. It just caught me by surprise.” Paula looked at the second
clown.

“Um, I didn’t know you would be working with
someone else today,” she said.

Alan glanced at Lyle and back to Paula. “Oh,
right, this is my sidekick, Stinky. He’s in training.”

“Oh, Stinky? Well, welcome. The party just
got started. Do whatever you need to do to get set up. I’ll be
right back. Dave is getting sodas from the garage and I need to
tell him to get another bag of ice.” Paula continued walking.

“Paula, hold on,” Alan said. She stopped and
he walked up to her. Lyle remained at the corner, fixated on the
horde of kids running around the back yard while their parents
appeared oblivious, grouped together on the deck catching up with
the latest happenings.

Before Alan could say anything, Paula leaned
in and whispered, “Are you sure about your friend, Stinky, there?”
Her eyebrow raised and she tilted her head in Lyle’s direction. “I
know you said he’s in training, but I’m a little concerned that his
face will scare some of the children. He looks like Tammy Faye
Baker in the middle of removing her makeup.”

Alan smiled. “That’s a good one. Yes, he’ll
be fine. If anyone is uncomfortable, I’ll send him to the car,” he
said. “Hey, um, why don’t you let us tell Dave about the soda’s and
ice? I wanted to see him anyway to see if he can help us, uh, set
up some things for the act.”

“Oh, sure. Like I said, he should be in the
garage. If not, I’ll send him back up.” Paula headed back to rejoin
her guests in the back yard.

Alan motioned for Lyle to follow him. When
they got to the garage, Dave was frantically sopping up orange soda
from the floor with mounds of paper towels.

“Hey, Dave,” Alan said.

Dave looked up at them. “Oh, Alan, how’s it
going, buddy? Whose your friend?”

Lyle stepped in front of Alan and held out
his hand. “I’m Lyle,” he said as Dave shook his hand. Lyle pulled
away and gripped his hand a few times before wiping it on his
costume.

Dave noticed. “I’m sorry, Lyle,” Dave said.
“I’m all sticky from the mess here. I tried taking too many at
once, and one got away. Let me get you a wet paper towel from the
kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

He started for the door when Alan said,
“Paula wanted me to tell you she needs another bag of ice.”

Dave stopped and looked back at them. “You
guys might as well come inside then. The freezer is in the
basement. We’ll wash up down there and you guys can help me take
the ice and sodas out back.” Dave turned and walked inside. Alan
and Lyle looked at each other, shrugged, and rushed to catch
up.

Dave was halfway down the steps as Alan and
Lyle entered the kitchen. Alan’s head pivoted like a bobble head as
he took the short opportunity to look for the figure of Spanky.
Lyle stood at the top of the steps and looked back at Alan veering
off track into the foyer.

“Where are you going?” Lyle whispered. “He
went down here.” He pointed down the flight of stairs to the
basement.

Alan stepped back in the kitchen and moved
toward Lyle. “I was looking for it. It’s got to be here
somewhere.”

From the basement, they heard the sound of a
faucet releasing water into the utility sink. “Did I lose you guys?
I’m down here,” Dave called out.

Lyle led the way to the basement. Dave left
the water running as he dried his hands with a rag. Lyle stepped up
and rinsed the sticky beverage from his hand.

Alan scanned a wall of shelves in the
unfinished space for any signs of Spanky. The shelves were packed
with typical storage items, but if Spanky was amongst the clutter,
he wasn’t in plain view. Dave tossed Lyle the used rag. Alan knew
he couldn’t waste any more time searching on his own. He had to ask
Dave where he kept it.

“Let’s get that ice.” Dave said. He moved
across the room to the freezer. As he opened the door, he heard
Spanky’s voice behind him.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Spanky said,
facing Alan and Lyle with his back to Dave. Dave slammed the
freezer door and backed against the wall beside it.

“I didn’t do anything. I was nice to them.”
Dave’s eyes were wide.

Lyle pulled his Poppy figure from his pocket
and held it facing Spanky. Instantly, his father appeared, tucked
in a boxing stance with his fists protecting his face.

“Who’s that?” Dave cried out. “Oh my god,
it’s another one.” Dave’s body pressed against the freezer, causing
it to screech as it slid into the side wall.

Spanky looked back at Dave and chuckled. He
turned back to size up Lyle’s father and grinned. “He fights dirty.
I wasn’t expecting that before. He got lucky, but he won’t be so
lucky this time because I’m ready for him. First I’ll destroy
Poppy. Then I’ll kill you, Dave.”

“No!” Dave shouted. “I didn’t do anything
wrong. I didn’t tell them about you. Please don’t kill me. I have a
family.”

“Not so fast, Spanky,” Alan said. Spanky
looked to Lyle’s left to see Alan holding out another Poppy figure.
Alan grew nervous, as the figure didn’t generate his own life-size
father. He gave the figure a few shakes to no avail.

Spanky clapped his hands in glee at seeing
Alan grow more uncomfortable with his predicament. “Assuming you
were able to figure out the secret to unleashing the power of
spirits, your father along with your friend’s father would be no
match for me. Look at you. Your father couldn’t have been much
bigger or stronger than…you,” Spanky sneered.

Just as Alan began to lower his Poppy
figure, a ghostly vision began to solidify in front of him. A very
large man in a suit tipped his head to avoid hitting the ceiling.
The corners of Spanky’s lips sank as his smile was replaced with a
concerned frown.

A newfound confidence rushed through Alan.
He stared Spanky down and said, “I was eight when he died. This is
exactly how I remember him.” The bigger than life memory of his
father turned and winked at Alan. Alan smiled back and wiped away a
tear before it rolled down his cheek.

Spanky, abandoning his original plan to take
pleasure in destroying Lyle’s Poppy, went to plan B. He turned
toward Dave, but something yanked at his waist, slowing him down.
Lyle’s Poppy grabbed the loose ends of Spanky’s rope belt and dug
his feet into the floor. This stalled him long enough for Alan’s
Poppy to put Spanky into a headlock. Lyle’s Poppy went low. He
wrapped his arms around Spanky’s legs and pulled them together,
preventing him from kicking or dragging Alan’s Poppy with him
toward Dave.

“Where’s the figure?” Alan yelled out to
Dave.

Dave was too afraid to answer.

“Dave! Where’s the Spanky statue? They can’t
hold him much longer. Where is it?”

Again, Dave didn’t have the courage to call
out its location. However, this time, he unconsciously turned and
glanced at the open crawlspace beside Alan before lowering his
head.

Alan looked at the dark crawlspace. Then he
looked back at Dave. “Up there? Is it in the crawlspace?” He moved
toward it.

Dave looked up. “No! You don’t understand,
he’s going to kill me!”

Alan stepped on a wooden chest and reached
in. “Please don’t!” Dave pleaded. Alan pulled the figure from the
darkness and held it out as he jumped off the chest.

“Can I do it?” Lyle said.

Alan paused to consider his friend’s
request.

“C’mon, Alan, let me do it. After everything
he did to me, I deserve a chance to get even.”

Alan looked back at Lyle’s pleading
expression and said, “I’m sorry, Lyle.” He raised the figure above
him and flung it to the concrete floor. Dust and small fragments
went flying. Spanky vaporized from the Poppys’ grip. Seconds later
both Poppys disappeared from sight.

Lyle looked dejected and upset.

“I understand how you must feel, Lyle, but I
couldn’t allow you to do it. This isn’t about getting even. That’s
what got us in the mess in the first place. We’re simply cleaning
up my mess. If we let ourselves take joy in it, we aren’t much
better than them.”

Lyle frowned and slumped his shoulders.
“Okay, Boogy. You’re probably right.” Seeing a larger shard on the
floor in front of him, he placed his foot over it and ground it to
dust.

Alan turned his attention to Dave, still
huddled in the corner against the freezer. Dave scanned the room,
then looked back at Alan. “What the hell just happened?”

Alan smiled. “You’re free of him now. He
can’t hurt you, and he won’t be back.”

“Thanks, but…how did you know?”

Alan’s mouth opened halfway but the words
didn’t come out. He wasn’t trying to avoid answering Dave’s
question. His pause was the result of a deep sense of guilt and
responsibility. This would be a heavy admission for him, which
required a careful choice of words.

“Because he made Spanky and gave it to you,”
Lyle answered without looking. His attention remained locked on the
task of locating and crushing as many pieces of the broken figure
as he could find.

Dave’s expression was a mix of anger and
confusion. “Is that right?” he said, looking at Alan.

“Uh, yes, it’s true Dave, but I didn’t
know

”

“Wait, this is crazy,” Dave interrupted.
“That’s not possible. You expect me to believe you made those clown
statues, and that you have the power to bring them to life? Do you
think I’m stupid or something?” He stepped away from the wall
toward Alan. “Are you trying to make me look like a fool, Alan?” As
he spoke he poked his finger into Alan’s chest.

Before Alan could respond, his Poppy
reappeared behind Dave. Alan’s eyes looked up and Dave turned his
head to see what took his attention from him. Poppy stared down at
Dave. Dave’s face turned white.

“No, Poppy!” Alan said. “I don’t need your
help.” Poppy nodded before vanishing.

Dave turned back to face Alan.

*****

Paula was walking through the garage door
when she heard the sound of Dave blowing his nose in the basement.
She walked toward the top of the steps and prepared to call down to
see if everything was okay when she heard Dave begin to speak. She
held her words and leaned in to listen.

*****

“It’s true, isn’t it? Somehow you did do
this.”

“Yes, it’s true. Don’t ask me how because I
don’t know. And I don’t have time to discuss it either. I’m really
sorry.”

Dave’s anger returned. He pressed his chest
into Alan’s and got in his face. “Oh, you’re sorry?”

“Yes, Dave, I’m sorry. And right now, I have
to leave. I’m sorry I can’t stay and do the party, but I think my
brother is in trouble and he needs my help.”

“Our help,” Lyle added.

Alan tried to ease himself away from Dave,
but Dave closed the gap. After checking over his shoulder, he
glared back at Alan. “You think I don’t know what’s going on, do
you?” Dave said.

“What? Look, I really have to leave now, so
could you please step aside?”

“It’s Paula, isn’t it?” Dave said. The
question puzzled Alan.

“You’ve always had a crush on her, and you
thought you could use your

magic to steal
her from me. That’s it, isn’t it?” Dave stepped back. His
allegation caught Alan by surprise.

“No Dave, that’s not

” Dave’s fist thrust into Alan’s stomach. Alan folded
over as Dave held his fists up for more. Lyle stopped crushing
wayward shards of Spanky and rushed to Alan’s aid. Alan held him
off with his hand held out.

Alan gripped his stomach as he returned
upright. Dave stood in front of him, his fists bobbing as he
searched for another opportunity to strike.

“Put your hands down!” Alan commanded.

Dave took a step back, but his hands
remained poised to jab.

“Dave, I really don’t have time for this.
We’re not in high school anymore. You’re way off base and my
brother needs my help. So get the hell out of my way or—”

“Or what?” Dave said. “Or you’ll have your
friend fight your battles for you?”

Alan stuffed his Poppy figure back in his
pocket. “I don’t need anyone’s help because there’s not going to be
a fight.” With Lyle standing at his side, Alan stared hard at Dave,
exuding confidence as he waited for Dave to make a move.

Alan’s strength sucked away Dave’s
aggression. He lowered his hands.

“Fine. Promise me it’s not about Paula and
I’ll get out of your way.”

Lyle chuckled and leaned over to whisper in
Alan’s ear. “He’s scared of you, Boogy. I know his type. Look at
him. He’s scared. You don’t have to say anything to this jerk. Just
walk around him. He won’t try anything.” Lyle pulled away and
leaned to move past Dave when Alan stopped him with a raised hand
to his chest.

“Dave, you’re right about one thing. I
always did have a crush on Paula. Who didn’t? She’s one of the
nicest people I’ve ever known. But this wasn’t about her. It wasn’t
even about me. I was hoping you might start looking at things
differently. You always look for someone else to blame for your own
mistakes. Unfortunately, you don’t stop there. After you blame
others, you feel the need to punish them—physically. I couldn’t let
that happen.”