Thud... Thud... Thud. Three distinct knocks came from the closet. Fifteen year old Nancy Baker turned in bed and pulled the sheet up to her neck. Darkness shrouds everything. A creature blacker than the darkness emerged from the closet. He stood around seven feet tall and had a cockeyed, broken neck. His eyes were missing and he cried blood. The blood and face were the only red parts of this creature.

It was gaunt and emaciated. It seemed to have long, black hair. It stood at the end of her bed. Nancy felt his presence. Her breathing grew shallow. Her breath became visible. ''Please go away,'' she whispered.

her toes became uncovered by an invisible force. It knelt down and licked the young girl's big toe. She fell out of bed. She crawled on hands and knees and by the time she reached the door the apparition was on top of her, choking her. She felt the room spin. She choked and thrashed. She felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

She awoke in her room but it was on fire but she did not burn. She woke up with her dad kneeling beside her. ''Are you okay?'' her dad asked.

The birds chirped outside her window. Light poured into the room. ''He came back,'' Nancy said.

''Who baby?'' dad asked.

''The shadow-Man,'' Nancy whispered.

''Oh no,'' dad whispered.

He hugged his daughter. ''I'll call Father Cliff. Perhaps he'll perform another cleansing.''

''Okay,'' Nancy said.

''I have to go to work,'' Dad said. ''You going to be okay?''

Nancy nodded. She watched in horror as invisible hands snapped her father's neck. He slapped her across the face and pinched her boobs and backside. The apparition lifted her by the ankles and she floated out into the hallway. She screamed as the invisible force dangled her over the banister.

Pictures of herself watching this scene. ''Please, God,'' Nancy pleaded.

It slammed her down. She gasped for breath. She made her way to her shaky feet and hustled down the stairs. Her cooked noodle legs did not seem to want to cooperate. ''Get down the stairs. Please!'' Nancy pleaded with herself.

The basement door swung open when she hit the carpet downstairs. A blast of now-hot air hit her in the face. An invisible force dragged her into the basement and slammed the door shut. ''I'm going to rape you and kill you and rape you again!'' the invisible apparition growled.

Nancy screamed and cried and the wood began splintering. Boom. Boom. Boom. It splintered more and more until and a bloody and beaten Nancy broke through the basement door.

Her nightgown was torn. She dragged herself on her stomach. ''Get to the door,'' Nancy thought.

She had cuts on her forearms. Her fists bled from all the pounding she had done to break free from her prison. Her hands throbbed. She grimaced as she dragged herself across the floor. She reached toward the doorknob, too weak and far to reach it. Nancy passed out.

She awoke in a hospital and saw her mother's face. ''Thank God you're awake.''

Nancy could not speak much above a whisper. ''Hi mom. I'm glad to see you.''

''Likewise, sweet face,'' Nancy's mom said. ''How do you feel?''

''Like crap,'' Nancy said.

''The police couldn't find the guy that assaulted you,'' Mom said.

''They're not going to,'' Nancy said. ''It was the Shadow Man.''

Mom's mouth became cotton. ''I thought he was gone.''

''He came back,'' Nancy said.

She grabbed her daughter's hand and they began to pray for deliverance from the Shadow Man. She kissed her daughter's forehead. ''I love you.''

''Love you too, mom.''

Just finished another script.

wanted a feature. Made it a short.

Just glad to be done with the fucking thing.

Lost love for the characters, desire to write it.

Want to start a book.

Not sure what to write about though.

Breathing behind your bunny mask, I can still feel your green eyes staring at me.

You decapitated my neighbor on Christmas Eve. Your bloody footprints left a trail in the snow. You kicked in my front door, ax in hand. I grabbed a fire poker, and we engaged in mortal combat. I kicked you in the nuts and you let out a growl, dropping the ax to the ground.

You knocked the poker out of my hand, and I took you down with a double leg take down and pinned you to the ground. I beat your face till it resembled hamburger and my hands bled. The cops took your sorry ass away and I iced down my knuckles.

Christmas Magic brought the viral sensation, Known as ''Blue Santa Doll'' to life. I captured it on my phone and could not believe what I saw. Blue Santa Doll swiped a cookie and dunked the thing in the giant glass of milk on the table.

He chuckled with glee when he discovered me recording him on my phone. ''The Christmas star brought me to life and brought me a friend,'' Blue Santa Doll said.

''And who might that be?'' I asked.

''You,'' the Blue Santa Doll said, hugging me.

We sang Christmas carols until we fell asleep on the sofa.

Donjae Knight kicked in the door and forced Dedriana Cole into the closet. He ripped open her sweater and shoved his cock right into her vagina. She bled and started to scream. He clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. He wore a white skull mask, which contrasted with his dark skin. He sprayed inside her and slit her throat. The serrated blade made a crunching sound as it sawed through bone and windpipe.

He looked into her eyes as the life left them. Donjae left her corpse in the closet and shut the door behind him. He walked out the front door and got into his shitty little green Nissan, that he bought washing dishes after school. His dad kicked himself out last month. Donjae lived in his car but was glad to be away from that dreadlock having asshole.

He turned on some rap music, trying to drown out his thoughts. It was Halloween night and Donjae was a lover of slasher films. Tonight was Donjae's way of paying homage to them. ''Someone had to die for my fantasy,'' Donjae thought. ''No one has to die for real in a slasher film and I didn't make a dime from my crime.''

He thought about how people were going to hate him once they found out what he did to Dedriana. She made his dick feel good. He loved her tits. He would often steal glances over at them while he was sitting in Geometry. her nipples would really poke through this one pink sweater she would wear every three weeks or so.

Now she was dead. ''Niggers are animals,'' Donjae thought of a phrase he had heard a sheriff say once. ''Maybe I am an animal.''

He ripped off his mask and threw it in the backseat. Sweat matted his curly hair. The world seemed so bigger and much easier to breathe in without wearing the damned thing. As a kid trick-or-treating, Donjae felt like a badass killer, breathing his own stale air, staring through eyes that weren't his. He liked getting the chance to be someone else. But he was not someone else.

He was the murderer, Donjae Knight. ''I'm a murderer,'' he thought.

The cops would find out he killed Dedriana. They would arrest him and he would go to prison. The devil appeared next to him in the front seat of his Nissan. The smell of smoke stung Donjae's eyes. He spoke Latin. The devil's forked tongue shot in and out of his mouth every once in a while, just like a snake.

Donjae didn't want to look over at him. He could feel the heat radiating off of him. A weird feeling came over Donjae. He felt an invisible force slide his tongue in Donjae's ear. He felt a weird pressure on his neck, as if a powerful man, or perhaps a beast, was nuzzling his neck. He felt an an alien force, an immense pressure enter his bum, through jeans, through clothes, did not matter.

He tried to stop the car but the brakes were shot and the car would not stop. Donjae felt the demon, invisible, but definitely present raping him. His anus burned and he could feel the scar tissue of the burnt demon against his thighs, butt and back.

A semi came hurdling toward him. The horn honked and Donjae swerved and went right through the windshield, ripping him in two. His bottom half remained in the car, but his top half went through the windshield. The moon was bright yellow that Halloween night and one passerby, a young girl traveling in the backseat described seeing a black teen, fitting Donjae's description, with a collar around his neck, and some gnarled, burnt creature, holding his leash.

Halloween Ends was a divisive film. I have no doubt that the filmmakers believe that they made a film Where Lori was healing and didn't want to be dictated by fear it hadn't felt made this boogeyman because they were afraid of Michael and so they made Corey into a boogie man of sorts. Here's the effect the film actually had. The warnings about who Michaels coming felt so limp and impotent that it felt very much evocative of the conjuring 3 where all tension was basically diffused Because the threat had been so severely neutralized. You took Allison who fit John Carpenter's definition of vulnerability when describing Lori Strode in 1978 Halloween. That definition was to have a quality about you that an audience inherently wants to protect. You wanted to protect Alison Strobe in 2018 and then kills. Allison said that she was all traumatized and people try to say Oh she wanted to help Corey and take care of him. She honestly didn't even act like she gave a **** about Karen being dead or her parents being dead. Now in the book you know it talked about her spending time with her parents' grave crying. You felt the different stages of grief and you felt like she actually gave a **** her parents were dead. The movie it just felt like no I got the hots for Corey because screenwriter wants me to. Now here's the weird thing about Halloween ends. It's a great springboard movie. From comic book to television is a documentary on EC comics talking about how the tales from the crypt comic books were later made into TV show. They talk about springboards and springboards you know Alfeld stein and Max Gaines and in particular William M Gaines Used a couple of Ray Bradbury stories as springboards were they kind of adapted it and did its own and did their own thing in their stories. That's what Halloween ends could really be because they put out little ideas that just had led a marinade and didn't really have the guts to commit to one and to say for certain this is what's going on.Because people that use a lame **** excuse well there's got more screen time in Halloween ends than he did in Halloween 1978 yeah, but you felt his presence in Halloween 78 a hell of a lot more than you do in Halloween ends.the positives of ends

I still gave the film 7 1/2 overall. Before becoming a serial killer, I didn't mind this nice guy courting Allison. You know Allison's beautiful girl I mean obviously. And you do want to protect her. But you do want to kill the bullies and they get killed off and you do want to kill Dr Mathis because he's a prick and a pervert you definitely want to kill **** officer Malaney. These are all the positives, and these are the only angles where the movie even.

Orange leaves gently swayed in a light breeze as twelve-year-old Chris Weaver walked down the dirt road. He kicked up dust as he moseyed. The house at the end of the dirt road was red. It had a quaint porch, being swept by Granny Bloch. She wore simple attire: blue jeans and an ankle-length skirt. The orange sun was starting to set as Chris stepped onto the porch. ‘’Where am I?’’ Chris asked.

She spoke into a voice sweeter than honey dipped in sugar. ‘’This is Autumn House.’’

‘’What is that?’’ Chris asked. ‘’How did I get here?’’

‘’You slipped through the tiny rift between your world and mine,’’ Granny Bloch said. ‘’It’s invisible, as you most likely have deduced. Your love for the season and Halloween enlarged the gateway enough to slip through.’’

Her gray eyes watched Chris; a gleam ever-present in her kind eyes. ‘’Care for some cider or a pumpkin muffin?’’ Granny said.

Chris rubbed his chin. ‘’Not hungry or thirsty.’’

Granny Bloch chuckled. ‘’No problem.’’

‘’How do I get back to my world?’’ Chris asked.

She whistled and out came a goblin, maybe two feet tall. He wore blue and had a shaggy red beard. His eyes were green, and he stared up at Chris. ‘’Pinch him,’’ Granny Bloch said.

‘’What?’’ Chris asked.

‘’You want to go home?’’ Granny Bloch said. ‘’Pinch the gnome. It’s the only way.’’

Chris reached out and the gnome ran away. Chris chased after the gnome. He ran inside the home and Chris followed closely behind. A quaint fire roared in the fireplace. It made a lovely crackling sound as it warmed anyone nearby. ‘’It’s a nice place isn’t it?’’ The gnome asked.

‘’It seems nice enough, but I want to go home,’’ Chris admitted.

‘’Home, where you feel invisible?’’ The gnome asked.

Chris shook his head. He stared into the face of this tiny mythical creature and felt confused and embarrassed. ‘’How do you know that?’’ Chris asked.

He heard an unknown voice. ‘’ I see all in my crystal ball,’’ the wizard said.

Chris spun around and found the wizard glaring at him. He held a cup of piping hot cider in his hand and took a sip. ‘’Your father does not give you the attention you seek ever since your parents' divorce,’’ the wizard said.

Chris’ head started spinning. ‘’How long have you been spying on me?’’

‘’We observe all lovers of the fall and Halloween,’’ The wizard said. ‘’It is my job.’’

Chris lunged at the gnome and missed. He ran through the boy’s legs. ‘’What the heck does that mean?’’ Chris asked head cocked, mouth agape.

‘’You must be deemed worthy to pinch the gnome,’’ the wizard said.

‘’How do I know if I’m deemed worthy?’’ Chris asked.

The wizard reached into Chris’ chest and pulled out the boy’s heart and weighed it, feeling the girth of it. ‘’You have a conflicted heart,’’ the wizard said. ‘’You want to leave this place, but you don’t necessarily want to go home.’’

‘’Come catch me, boy,’’ the gnome said, bending over and wiggling his butt at Chris. He chased the gnome into the kitchen. The gnome danced as he climbed up onto the table and Chris was able to grab the little guy by the back of his shirt and pinched the gnome’s cheek. He found himself back at his own home, the house with green paneling and the giant oak tree in the front yard. He grabbed the door handle and knew his father would be waiting inside, but that did not fill him with as much dread as it once would have.

Hello friends. DJ Robbins here and I want to give you a tip for writing a slasher flick. Scream was a film that made audiences think about the slasher film in a certain way. That’s the way to think about them if you want to continue looking at them as some silly game that is a paint by numbers approach with the wrong things colored in.

Fuck all that stupid no sex and all that stupid bullshit that just happened to be in these films more than what they’re actually about. . My best tip for anyone is write for the middle. This is when the characters start getting killed off one by one but more importantly when the protagonist’s friend group starts getting killed off.

This is also referred to as show how strong or bad this thing can get. Now, Child’s Play’s midpoint is where Karen discovers Chucky is alive. Different than Annie being killed at the midpoint in Halloween. The other thing the video listed in this hub tells the truth about is there an investigation in these films.

The investigation is not the obvious choice either. Halloween, Loomis is hunting for Michael. That’s his investigation. In The Exorcist, the detective has his investigation but this isn’t what the investigation means for your script. That is usually brought on by the crimes with the cops, but we are referring to the protagonist’s investigation to find out the truth or how to stop this thing.

In The Exorcist, Chris hunts for what the fuck is up with her kid. In Halloween, Loomis hunts down Michael. In Child’s Play, Karen learns more about Chucky and how to stop it and starts her own investigation. The other thing that’s true about these films from the video is the foreplay aspect. POV shots, killer stalking, an occasional dead body or kill not a part of the protagonist’s friend group happens during these beats of the script.

In the Screencraft video they talk about something scary happening every ten pages and the first act gets leeway. Most horror films start with a cold open. It sets the tone and reminds the audience of why they’re there.

You have to keep your protagonist pretty much in the dark till that third act or at least not have that final confrontation till act three. In Child’s Play, Karen does not know Chucky is alive until the midpoint and has to go on a hunt for Andy and Chucky and meets up with Andy and Chucky again in act three for the big confrontation.

In Halloween, she discovers her dead friends and is then stalked by Michael and has to survive her encounter with him. Why do killers suffer a lot of damage in these films? Is it to show how indestructible they are? If it’s done well, it should be cathartic for the audience. Chucky gets burnt and shot, Michael gets shot and stabbed, Freddy gets burned and all this is to let the villain suffer for their crimes, saying, ’’if you do bad to others, you’ll suffer too.

Like John Carpenter said, ‘’there is a code in much of horror where if the villain is not vanquished it is put at bay at the end so the audience can walk out safely.’’ Halloween left Michael alive and we think he can be anywhere. In Child’s Play, Chucky is seemingly dead and defeated.

I want to be free. I want to leave and never come back.

I'm tired of being forced to do things. I want to be away from my parents. Should have done so long ago. I need to be myself.

I don't want to compromise. Nearly knock the tree over, look at me like I'm a criminal.

Fuck you.

It was Thursday afternoon and Bobby Blaine was bored. He sat in his bedroom, doing some pushups. His dad burst into the bedroom. Hey kiddo, I have a surprise for you!” Dad exclaimed. He had something hidden behind his back. Bobby climbed to his feet and smiled. “What is it, dad?” Bobby asked.

Dad pulled out two purple tickets. I have two tickets to Scream Land Amusement Park!” Dad asked.

“Sure, I guess.” Bobby played it cool.

“So it’ll be just the two of us, mom isn’t coming?” Bobby asked.

Dad’s big belly jiggled as he chuckled.

“I’m taking you and a friend to the Amusement Park. I’m going to the Ohio State Football game!” Dad said.

Bobby’s eyes lit up. “You mean, I get to be alone, all afternoon in Scream land?” That’s awesome!” Bobby exclaimed. “You won’t be alone, you’ll be with Darren,” Dad said as he adjusted his glasses.

Bobby’s heart sank. “I’m going with Darren?” Bobby asked.

Dad nodded. “I’m sure you and your brother will have a wonderful time,” Dad said.

Darren walked into the room. He wore a black Kiss t-shirt and dingy blue jeans. “Hey, Bobby you ready to go?” Darren asked.

“Dad please don’t make me go with Darren, he’s a creep!” Bobby pleaded with his father.

“You know, if you don’t want to go, I can always give the tickets to Darren and he could take his girlfriend Amy,” Dad said. Bobby’s mouth hung open.

Bobby sighed and mumbled under his breath. “I’ll go with Darren,” Bobby grumbled.

The two kids hopped into Darren’s blue Chevy Nomad and the two were headed toward Scream land.

Halfway to their destination, Bobby smelled a heinous fart. Feeling like he was moments from gagging, Bobby, rolled his window down and stuck his head out of it.

Darren laughed as if he were a supervillain or something. Bobby just gasped for as much fresh air as he could take in. ’What is wrong with you, Darren, you’re sick.” Bobby groaned.

I shouldn’t have had that chili dog for lunch.” Darren chuckled.

I cannot even believe we are related.” Bobby groaned. The Nomad pulled up in front of the big iron gates of Scream land. Darren handed the tickets to Bobby. “I’m taking Amy to a movie, so I called your friend, Joey, and he said, he’d meet you by the gates, in fifteen minutes or so got it? Good, now beat it, puke stain!” Darren exclaimed. Bobby happily climbed out of his brother’s Chevy Nomad and he slammed the car door, closed behind him. The Nomad sped away and finally, I was alone. The iron bars were tall and Bobby thought they looked oppressive. Inside was all the fun. There were laughing children, smiling teenage couples, held hands, and laughed and happy parents captured pictures to be enjoyed by all when their children grew up and moved away from home. “I hope Joey gets here soon man, I want to ride some roller coasters.” Bobby thought quietly to himself.

Bobby decided to try to amuse himself. He whistled happy little tunes to himself as he kicked a Styrofoam cup around the parking lot. Finally, he saw a red Cincinnati baseball cap moving toward him. He knew it was Joey. Joey always wore his Reds ball cap. Bobby waved and smiled at Joey as Joey approached him. The two friends slapped each other high fives and cheered together real loud in unison. Bobby handed his friend one of the purple tickets. The iron gates swung open and the two friends walked up to the ticket booth.

Working the ticket booth was a wrinkly-faced woman with dark eyes and black hair. “Do you boys dare to step into the scariest rollercoaster in the world?” The ticket lady asked.

’We sure do.” Joey said, as he slid his purple ticket through the open slot in the ticket booth’s window and next Bobby followed suit.

The ticket lady ripped the two tickets up and threw the remaining pieces into a brown wastepaper basket, which was located inside the booth. “This is a land of illusions, and a utopia of fear, be warned, not all those who enter are not always allowed to leave ha hah ha. Enjoy your stay boys it may very well be your last.” The ticket lady’s voice came out as a harsh rasp. Her words made Joey shudder. The ticket

lady seemed to vanish in a ring of fire. The flames crackled and popped. Both boys could feel the heat from the fire. Finally, the fire was gone and the ticket booth was left empty.

“What the heck was that all about?” Joey asked.

“That was a great magic trick, man.” Bobby boasted.

Do you think that was an illusion? I don’t know man those flames seemed real to me.” Joey insisted.

Bobby laughed heartily. Man, the ticket lady said to herself, this is a land of illusions remember? Relax man, everything’s cool dude, I promise.” Bobby ran his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair.

“She also said that not everyone who enters this place is allowed to leave, remember?” Joey reminded his friend.

Dude, stop being so gullible, it’s a scary theme park, nothing here is real.” Bobby said.

A blonde woman: wearing no bra and a tight- pink- tank top walked by, “Especially those.” Bobby whispered as he pointed to the blonde girl’s chest. Joey laughed and soon he felt a whole lot better.

The boys walked into the theme park and instantly they knew that they were no longer in a regular theme park. They knew this was a true scream park. There was a fountain that was shaped like a headless female body. Red liquid simulating blood spurted out of the seemingly bloody stump of the statue. The food court smelled delicious but they looked totally scary. I’m hungry dude, how about we get something to eat?” Bobby asked his friend.

”I’m not that hungry but I am thirsty.” Joey replied.

“Did your mom give you any money?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, she gave me a couple of dollars, do you have any money?” Joey asked. Bobby nodded.

Bobby headed to Monster Pizzeria and Joey, headed to the food cart entitled Transylvania Juice Bar. Behind the counter, a large ruddy-faced man stood. He wore a white undershirt and green khaki pants. “What do you want, kid?” The big man’s voice sounded croaky, like a frog’s voice.

I’ll take a slice of your gone batty pepperoni pizza, please.” Bobby said.

The large man tossed the dough and spun it with such ease it looked as if he were spinning a Frisbee.

The man slid the pizza into a large metal oven and in practically no time at all the pizza was ready. He sliced a generous slice of pizza and placed it on a paper plate.

That’ll be a dollar o nine.” The large man said.

Bobby handed the man his money and Bobby took the pizza. The pepperoni was shaped like little brown bats. Bobby thanked the man and he found a bench to sit at. Soon after he was seated, Bobby was soon found by Joey. Joey sat next to his friend on the bench and the two friends ate and drank, in peace.

Joey’s cup was cool. It was shaped like a mummy and the red straw was placed on the mummy’s forehead so it would give the illusion that the person drinking from the cup was drinking the plastic mummy’s brains.

“How’s your mummy juice?” Bobby asked.

“It’s warm but it’s good. How’s your gone batty pizza?” Joey asked.

’’The pepperoni is kind of crunchy but the cheese is super gooey,” Bobby said.

After the boys were finished, with their beverage and food, they tossed away their trash.

“What do you want to do now?” Bobby asked.

Let’s ride some rides.” Joey suggested.

“What do you want to ride first?” Bobby asked.

“Let’s ride Coaster of Doom!” Joey cheered.

The boys stood in line and they gazed up at the massive wooden coaster.

“They say it’s the tallest wooden coaster in America and the fastest,” Joey whispered to his friend.

Bobby looked up at the coaster in awe and amazement.

“Boy, that is one awesome coaster.” Bobby thought quietly to himself.

Bobby climbed into the front seat and Joey climbed in the seat behind him.“This is going to be one scary ride.” A voice whispered in Bobby’s ear.

Assuming it was his best friend, Bobby, turned around and spoke to Joey.

“I hope so, man,” Bobby said.

Joey’s face wrinkled up in a sign of confusion. “You hope so what?” Joey asked.

“You said it’s going to be a scary ride,” Bobby said.

Joey shook his head defiantly. “I never said that.” Joey protested.

Bobby’s mouth dropped open. “if you didn’t say it, then who did?” Bobby muttered.

’’Beats me, bro,” Joey said. The coaster started up and the carts rose slowly to the very top of the coaster. The cart jostled and rocked fiercely due to its high traveling speed and the fact it was a wooden coaster.

The carts dove into a darkened tunnel. The weirdest sensation occurred to Bobby.

He felt a pair of hands unclasp his seat belt. “What the heck?” Bobby cried out.

Bobby grabbed the seat belt and tried to clasp it back on but somebody was tugging on it.

Soon, a very powerful and unseen force ripped out the seat belt totally and tossed it to the ground below.

“Holy crap,” Bobby shouted.

Soon, the carts went through their first loop. Bobby clutched the safety bar and soon he hung upside down from it. The rest of the coaster riders screamed in horror as they watched poor Bobby dangle upside down from his cart.

When the loop was over, Bobby was slammed back into his seat hard. Bobby grimaced in pain as he felt his spine being jostled around. He clutched onto the safety bar and on the second loop, he once again dangled from the seat. One woman fainted and several people due to copious amounts of fear vomited all over the ground and all over their clothes.

The owner of Scream land, Mr. Eerie, grabbed Bobby by the shoulder and ushered him into his office.

Mr. Eerie hung his hat on the hat rack and quickly sat down.

Mr. Eerie ran his fingers through his black, greasy hair, as he narrowed his eyes at the boy seated in front of him. ’’I would like to apologize for this ugly situation I Want you to rest assured that this is in no way a reflection of the way we operate as a theme park.” Mr. Eerie said.

“I could have been killed today and all you can tell me is you’re stinking sorry?” Bobby growled.

Mr.Eerie wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed. He pulled out two red tickets and slid them across the desk. “These are two free tickets to the most exclusive show in Scream land and I would like to give you these two free tickets for the 8:00 p.m. showing.” Mr. Eerie said.

Bobby grabbed the tickets and muttered. “Is this all?” Bobby asked.

Mr. Eerie shook his head. Mr. Eerie pulled out a Scream land ball cap and a few dollar bills. You bought two tickets?” Mr. Eerie asked.

’’My dad paid for the tickets.” Bobby admitted.“We want to give your father a full refund and a family, lifetime pass to Scream land Amusement Park!” Mr. Eerie said.

‘’ I hope legal recourse will not be necessary.’’ Mr. Eerie said.

It suddenly became very clear to Bobby why Mr. Eerie was being so friendly.

“Relax, no one will get sued, man,” Bobby assured the weary businessman.

Mr. Eerie smiled. ’’Splendid, I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay with us here at Scream land Amusement Park!” A now very cheery Mr. Eerie exclaimed.

Bobby slid the tickets and his family lifetime pass into his back jeans pocket and shuffled out the door.

He placed his new Scream land hat on top of his head and he met back up with Joey. Joey was standing by the men’s bathroom. ’’What did Mr. Eerie want?” Joey asked.

“He bribed me with a full refund, free tickets to see Mr. Chuckles tonight, this hat, and a lifetime pass to this theme park so my dad won’t sue him for almost killing me no biggie,” Bobby said.

“That’s fantastic; I wish I would’ve almost died on a shoddily-made roller coaster.” Joey joked.

Bobby chuckled. “Yeah, it’s pretty great getting free stuff for almost dying ha hah.” Bobby shot back.

That night 8:00 p.m. finally arrived. The show was held in a purple tent. The inside of the tent smelled musty and the air smelled of cigarette smoke. The lighting was not very good at all. It was so dark everybody had to do a lot of squinting to find a seat. Joey and Bobby sat right up front. A single spotlight

rested on a man wearing a bow tie and a cheap-looking tuxedo grinned at the audience. He rested an evil-looking little clown dummy on his knee. The dummy had a big red grin, freckles, spiky red hair, and a little, red clown suit. The ventriloquist stared down at his little friend and spoke to him. ’’Hey, Mr. Chuckles, what do you think of these wonderful guests here at our show today?” The ventriloquist Herman said.

“Are there any vegetarians here?” Mr. Chuckles asked.

A couple of people raised their hands. ’’I don’t like vegetarians they don’t taste right he hah ha.” Mr. Chuckles hissed. Everyone started laughing.

“I heard you married a female dentist last week is that true?” Herman asked.

“You ever met a pretty, lady dentist?” Mr. Chuckles asked.

“No, I can’t say that I have,” Herman replied.

“Yeah me neither.” Mr. Chuckles said.

‘’ I saw a picture of your wife Mr. Chuckles and she is gorgeous” Herman boasted.

’’She’s a winner alright she won second prize in the Eukanuba Dog Show ha hah ha.” Mr. Chuckles grinned.

The crowd applauded and laughed uproariously. Next, the tent grew eerily quiet.

Everyone in the crowd’s mouths; started foaming also Herman and Mr. Chuckles also began foaming in their mouth as well. “Everyone’s eyes began swirling around. “Kill kill kill.” Everyone started chanting.

” We better get the heck out of here.” Joey said.

“Good idea, “Bobby whispered.

Joey and Bobby snuck out of that tent. Joey and Bobby were suddenly being chased by a possessed mob. They decided to dodge into a red tent. The lighting in the tent was black-lighting. A woman sat behind the desk. A crystal ball sat on her desk. Her flowing- purple gown fluttered, despite there being no wind. She wore a yellow bandana on her head. “What do you boys seek?” The woman said.

“What does my future hold?’ Joey asked.

“What I see for you, my boy is extreme danger.” The gypsy lady said.

“Danger: what kind of danger?” Joey asked.

“I see you being devoured by a very hungry creature.” The gypsy said.

“Devoured by a creature? What kind of creature?” Joey’s eyes grew wide.

“The vision is getting hazy.” The gypsy woman said.

Bobby chuckled. “She’s a fraud, Joey, she’s just trying to freak you out, man.” Bobby scoffed.

The gypsy woman’s dark eyes glowered at Bobby. “Doth the cursed boy doubt my proclamations?” The gypsy woman asked.

“What do you mean by cursed?” Bobby whispered.

‘’ A nasty spirit has attached himself to you and he has cursed you.” The gypsy woman said.

Bobby began to feel very frightened. He remembered the incident on the rollercoaster and he realized that it was the spirit that unfastened his seat belt. His eyes grew wide and his voice became low.

He gripped the edge of the table and he leaned in and whispered to the gypsy woman.

’’How do I get rid of this angry; spirit?” Bobby asked.

The gypsy woman gave the boy a weak and crooked half-smile. ’’To get rid of this curse you must destroy yourself.” The gypsy woman said solemnly.

“I’m not going to kill myself, there must be a better way.” Bobby protested.

’’If you don’t destroy yourself, the curse, will destroy all those you are closest to until you are dead.” The gypsy woman growled. With that, the gypsy woman vanished in a puff of smoke.

Bobby and Joey looked at each other with very grim dispositions. “Dude, what are you going to do?” Joey asked. Bobby looked down at his feet and he let out a frustrated and forsaken-sounding sigh.

“I don’t know, Joey, I just don’t know.” Bobby sighed.

As the boys walked out of the tent, a proverbial dark cloud swirled around their collective heads.

It was an extremely earth-shattering proclamation to be only twelve years old and to be sentenced to death. The sky seemed to Bobby, at least, to be grayer than it had been previously. Whether in reality, the sky was grayer than it had been before was unimportant because it was true for Bobby and that was all that ever really matter to a condemned man.

‘’There they are, get ’em.’’ The boys heard angry shouts coming from behind them.

The boys spun around and they saw the angry mob had returned. “Not again,” Bobby muttered,

The boys started running. They whipped around the corner dodging patrons and even a janitor. They found a funhouse and they decided to hide inside it.

Things were about to get even worse for the boys.

Chapter 2

The inside of the clown house was dimly lit by orange and purple lighting. There were manufactured clown laughs. They saw a big yellow door and they walked through it. Inside the room, was a tall lanky clown standing in the corner. There were dozens of balloons all over the floor.

The boys kicked at the balloons trying to move them out of the way as they walked.

The room was lit by strobe lighting, which gave the clown an eerie- ghostly- unnatural movement to his gait. The clown lunged at the boys and they reeled backward. The boys ran into a darkened basement and they found a horrible surprise awaiting them. The room was dark and it smelled of spoiled meat. A loud growl caused Bobby and Joey to shiver with fear. They ran into a large and solid object. The boys were grabbed by their arms and shoved into a cage-like structure. The boys screamed and shook the cage door. “Help, let us out of here now!” The boys shouted in unison. A match was struck and the two boys jumped back when they saw a massive clown face grinning at them.

“I’m hungry and you boys look like you will make fine snacks indeed. The boys’ knees trembled and their teeth chattered. “You don’t want to eat us, we taste awful.” Joey cried out.

“Yeah, me too,” Bobby chimed in.

The clown grinned. The clown grabbed a chainsaw and he scraped the chainsaw against the metal cage.

The boys wailed in terror. They backed into the wall and the wall dropped out and the boys slid down a long, darkened slide. Finally, the boys landed on the ground just outside the funhouse. The boys sprang to their feet and they walked over to a nearby bench and rested their feet. ’’What are we going to do, man?” Joey asked.

Let’s go out to the parking lot and see if Darren’s here yet.” Bobby suggested.

Joey’s face lit up. The boys sprinted halfway across the park. Both boys cheered when they saw Darren’s Nomad sitting near the front gate. Bobby climbed into the front seat and Joey climbed in the back.

“Why are you guys so out of breath?” Darren asked.

“It’s a long story can we just get out of here please?” Bobby asked.

Darren shook his head and took off. The rest of the car ride was silent. When the boys got back to Bobby’s house Bobby tossed away the free family pass to Scream land.

Bobby climbed into his bed and Joey slept in a sleeping bag on the floor.

The next day, it rained all morning. Bobby crept across the floor and quietly snuck over to his window. He just stared out of it. The rain pattered against the windowsill. Staring back at him, he saw the large clown, from the funhouse, standing in the rain on Bobby’s front lawn. Greasy makeup ran down the clown’s face. Bobby shuddered. He saw the clown pull a black balloon out of the air. The giant clown motioned toward the boy, using his right hand. Bobby shut the blinds. He shook his best friend’s shoulder. ’’Wake up Joey wake up!” Bobby exclaimed.

Joey ignored the boy and kept on sleeping. Bobby grew increasingly frustrated. He screamed in the ear of his sleeping friend. “Get up, your mom just showed me her boobs!” Bobby lied.

Joey sat up and looked at Bobby feeling very stunned. ”What?” Joey gasped.

I just saw one of those clowns from the funhouse at Scream land, standing outside my window.” Bobby confessed. Joey narrowed his gaze and stared into the frightened eyes of his best friend.

“Are you being honest with me, right now?” Joey asked.

Bobby just nodded.

Joey tossed his sleeping bag off of him and he walked to the window. Joey let out an audible grunt and shook his head. He shot Bobby a death look and spoke through gritted teeth. “There’s nobody there, is this a joke?” Joey asked.

Bobby’s mouth hung open when he saw the clown was now gone. “No, I’m telling you there was a clown; standing outside the window,” Bobby argued.

Joey sighed. “Well, there’s nothing there now,” Joey said in a whispery way.

“I’ll see you at breakfast. “ Joey quietly said.

Fifteen minutes later, Bobby, staggered down the steps. He slumped in his chair. He grumbled under his breath. Bobby’s mother stood at the sink, washing the dishes. She noticed the sour disposition on her son’s face. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” You seem blue today.’’ Bobby’s mother Helen stated.

’’I don’t want to talk about it, mom,” Bobby admitted.

’’It might make you feel to get whatever’s bothering you off of your chest.” Helen inquired.

“No, mom, I don’t want to talk about it,” Bobby stated firmly, as he slammed his fist on the table. Joey looked up from the bowl of cereal he was eating and Helen shot Bobby a sour look. ‘’Watch how you speak to me, young man. You got it?’’ Helen snapped.

’’Bobby sighed, ‘’Yes mom.’’

Helen sighed as she shook her head, ‘’Good.’’ That day, at school, seemed to drag on forever. Right before he headed to lunch, Bobby, found a mysterious note in his locker. “Hey fish face, I hope you don’t feel sour over what happens today at 3:15.” The note said.

That day at the pep rally, Bobby was called up to the front of the gymnasium by the principal. Bobby walked up to the front of the gymnasium. There was an eerie silence in that auditorium, as Bobby took center stage. He stood in a solitary spotlight. The principal looked back at the nervous boy and flashed him an evil smile. ‘’Commence operation fish face and operation sour puss.’’ The principal pulled a rope and dozens of fish heads were dumped from a bucket onto its head of Bobby. The whole auditorium burst into uproarious laughter. The students began pelting Bobby with lemons. He shielded his face and groin as the lemons pelted him. Suddenly, he noticed a very nasty sight indeed. Standing in the doorway, of

the gymnasium stood Mr. Chuckles.

It made sense now why all this was happening. Somehow Mr. Chuckles was involved with this curse business. I figured if I destroyed that dummy: then the curse would be broken. Bobby saw Mr. Chuckles dash out of the gymnasium. Bobby ran out into the hall and chased after him. He was so fast, that he dashed around a corner, by the time, Bobby turned that same corner, Mr. Chuckles was nowhere in sight. Bobby sighed as he walked through the empty halls of the school.

Soon, Bobby came to a red door. Bobby opened the door and stepped inside the room. It was a boiler room. The metal pipes hissed as they filled with steam. Eerie shadows cast themselves on the walls and floor. Bobby felt around for the light switch. When he gripped the pull string the boy smiled.

When he flicked the light on every muscle inside Bobby’s body tensed up.

Bobby saw a wooden coffin sitting in the middle of the room. The lid slowly rose. Dozens of rats began swarming out of the coffin. They all were missing their eyeballs. The rats all screeched, as they scurried across the floor. Bobby ran toward the door of the boiler room. Bobby could hear Mr. Chuckles laughing maniacally as the crazed rats chased after Bobby. ‘’ this is nuts, I have got to find a way to reverse this dumb curse and fast.” Bobby thought to himself. He flung open the door and slammed it shut behind him. He bumped into something solid, which knocked the boy on his butt. When he looked up he saw the janitor, Mr. Dent, glaring at him.

‘’What are you doing here son? School’s over.’’ Mr. Dent said.

I uh lost one of my contacts.’’ Bobby lied.

Mr. Dent shot a suspicious look at Bobby. ‘’You best be heading home now boy.’’ Mr. Dent whispered.

‘’Ha, yeah, I guess I should.’’ Bobby gave a nervous little chuckle and sprinted out of the school. Bobby

felt a raindrop slap his cheek.

The more the rain fell the more Bobby realized that this was no ordinary rain. It was red. It tasted coppery. It was blood! Blood was falling from the sky. Bobby gazed up and he saw a freaky sight. The giant clown’s image filled the sky. The blood was pouring from the clown’s mouth.

‘’I’m hungry, feed me, Bobby, feed me.’’ The clown grumbled, he was bigger than a skyscraper, suddenly. He reached down from the sky and tried to grab the terrified boy. Bobby fled but the hand followed closely behind. The boy ran up his wooden porch steps and dashed inside and locked the door. He leaned against the front door and he breathed heavily. This was insanity. He was cursed. He felt like he was damned. He slowly ascended the staircase. His melancholy was so thick that he felt like he could taste it. Bobby closed his bedroom door and plopped down on his bed and he hung his head. Bobby felt tired. His stomach ached. How could he go on like this? “Maybe that gypsy woman was right; maybe I should just kill myself and get rid of this dumb curse.” Bobby thought bitterly. He walked over to the window and opened it up. He imagined himself plummeting toward the ground below. He imagined himself looking like a shattered mannequin covered with lasagna and spaghetti sauce. He stepped up on the ledge and prepared to shuffle off his mortal coil. He heard a whispered voice say don’t. He did not know whether it was in his subconscious or aloud but he heard it and obeyed.

He climbed off the ledge and shut the window. Bobby let out a big sigh of relief. ‘’I don’t know what I’m going to do but whatever I decide to do I better do it fast,’’ Bobby mumbled under his breath.

Bobby walked down the stairs and what he saw was truly shocking. He saw two elderly people seated on his couch. The man wore a dark brown suit and a brown fishing hat. Their skin was green and rotting. They were missing their eyeballs. They looked up at me and I gasped.

’’We’re so hungry, won’t you feed us?” The male zombie said.

The female zombie licked her lips. “We really could use just a nibble.” The lady zombie said.

They stood up and the zombies began shuffling toward me. They groaned as they inched closer to me and they drooled all over the floor. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife.

I saw the grotesque zombies shamble toward me. I suddenly remembered that the only way to kill a zombie was to destroy its brain. I threw the knife at the zombie and the knife landed between the eyes of the boy zombie. The dead zombie hit the ground with a gentle thud. I pulled the knife out of the guy zombie’s skull and I threw the knife at the female zombie's head. It sliced off the top of her head and she fell over dead too. The zombies melted into green goop and they melted into the floor.

Bobby picked the knife up, from the floor, and washed the blood off of it.

Bobby tossed the knife in the sink and he shuffled off to bed. The sunlight poured into Bobby’s bedroom window. Bobby’s eyes popped open. His mental stability was not the strongest. This whole ordeal with the curse had drained him completely. He saw all kinds of faces grinning at him as they swirled around his head and danced on his ceiling. The next day, at school, he saw what looked like Mr. Chuckles standing by the road.

He saw a semi-truck barreling down the road. Bobby pushed the dummy into the street and

Instantly, the dummy’s head was crushed. Blood splattered everywhere and hit Bobby in the face. A teacher, on bus duty, screamed. She rushed toward the cadaver and she frantically called for help. Bobby soon realized that he had not destroyed a dummy. He had murdered a classmate. The fear welled up inside of Bobby’s guts. He ran to the boy’s bathroom and ran into the bathroom stall. He unleashed his inner stomach contents into the toilet bowl. His throat burned, as did his eyes. The taste of bile made him want to ralph again. He heard a knock on the bathroom stall. Hello? Police, open the door

son. Bobby knew he was doomed. He crawled under the bathroom stalls until he was able to climb through an open window. Bobby managed to slip by gawking passersby and elude the police by hiding behind cars and trees and heavyset people. He ducked into a nearby alley. Bobby slid down until his butt was on the wet pavement. The gray sky seemed to be crashing down on poor Bobby. His face felt hot and he had to fight back tears and the urge to vomit. Here he was only twelve years old and his whole life was ruined. He was a murderer. He had killed a classmate. “Had Mr. Chuckles tricked me? Did I imagine it was the dummy when I pushed that boy into the street?” Bobby wondered.

“No it was him, that evil creep, Mr. Chuckles had tricked me and no matter what, I am going to destroy that creep, Mr. Chuckles, if it is the last thing I do!” Bobby vowed.

Bobby noticed angry policemen shouting as they barreled down the alley.

Bobby took off in a frantic sprint. As he rounded a corner Bobby noticed a dumpster. He swallowed his pride and he jumped inside the dumpster. The smell of spoiled meat and week-old mayonnaise offended Bobby’s nostrils. Bobby waited until nightfall before he stepped out of the dumpster.

He smelled terrible but he knew he could not go home. Things were too crazy. He would surely be arrested. At twelve years old he was a fugitive, scared, alone, and worst of all cursed.

He snuck into a local bar and sat down in the back somewhere. He saw a large man playing darts. The man had a long, gray ponytail and big belly, and large powerful-looking arms and hands. He had a gray goatee. He looked down at the boy and gave Bobby a mean-looking scowl. The man approached the trembling, smelly boy. “You’re that Bobby Blaine punk aren’t you?’ The biker said.

“I might be.” Bobby squeaked out in a small, scared, mouse-like voice.

“I see you’re a smart ass, as well as a murderer, you little creep.’’ The biker said.

I’m Danny Thompson’s uncle; you killed my nephew this afternoon, you little bastard!” The big, scary biker growled. Bobby’s mouth hung open and his eyes grew wide. His hands became visibly shaken.

The biker grabbed Bobby by his hair and pulled him into the back alley. The biker punched Bobby in the mouth and Bobby fell. Bobby tasted blood in his mouth. He lifted the boy and slammed him against a brick wall. He punched the boy in the stomach and he proceeded to beat the boy nearly to death.

Bobby blacked out. When he awoke he found himself in a hospital bed. His body and face ached. His eyeball floated in a sea of blood. His head throbbed. He felt like some cyborg. Bobby found himself hooked up to all kinds of tubes. He saw a shadowy, black figure dart out from a wall. The nurses and doctors heard him start screaming. Two nurses and doctors screamed when they saw Bobby convulsing in his hospital bed. White, foam dribbled down their lips of Bobby. The heart monitor flat-lined.

When he was revived, he stared up at the stern faces of two police officers. He was arrested and brought to a police station where he confessed that he was cursed and he thought the boy he killed was a ventriloquist dummy: who was trying to kill him. He was sent away, to Shady Hill Sanitarium, where he was incarcerated. The walls were white, soft, and padded. Bobby screamed as he punched the walls of his cell. “Let me out; for God’s sake, let me out,” Bobby screamed.

Bobby slid down to the floor and he sobbed. He thought of sitting at the kitchen table and seeing his mother’s smiling face, staring at him. “More peas honey?” Bobby could hear her saying.

‘’No thanks, mom,’’ Bobby said.

‘’No one’s a better cook than your mother.’’ Bobby’s father would say.

Soon the memories faded and Bobby was alone once again, in that padded cell for a crime he did not feel he had truly ever committed. If the curse was somehow broken would all this go away? It did not

seem to matter. He figured he would always be here, forever. Bobby sank into a horrible depression.

All day and night he would just sit in his cell in a catatonic state. One night a fellow inmate snuck the catatonic boy into the bathroom where he performed oral sex on the prepubescent boy. When a well-meaning nurse found out about this she pulled the inmate into her office and injected cyanide into his veins using a syringe. Within thirty seconds the inmate was dead. Since he was a loon and a child molester the staff did not punish the nurse. No one figured he was a human being, anyway.

That night, when Bobby awoke, he found a large man wearing a bathrobe staring at him.

The man grabbed Bobby and the two escaped the asylum. The giant man carried the boy on his back, down a darkened road. ’’Who are you and where are you taking me?” Bobby asked.

“I want to help you break the curse.’’ The giant man said.

“How did you know about the curse?” Bobby asked.

“I am a spiritual healer and ever since I saw you I knew your spirit was sick.” The hulking man said.

”His long hair blew in the wind. His skin was reddened and his hair was black. He was Native American.

“How do we break the curse?” Bobby whispered.

“We must perform a cleansing ritual.” The Native American man said.

Bobby threw his fist high in the air and cheered. ’’Great, how do we perform this ritual?” Bobby asked.

’’First, we must destroy the one who cursed you.” The Native American’s voice was calm yet firm.

‘’Mr. Chuckles,’’ Bobby muttered.

The man and the boy spent the night in an abandoned barn. “What’s your name?” Bobby asked.

‘’My name is Tiger.’’ The hulking man said.

“I’m Bobby.” Bobby boasted.

That night, Bobby had a nightmare. He dreamt that he was running through a cemetery and being chased by an eight-foot-tall Mr. Chuckles. A hand reached out of the ground and grabbed Bobby’s ankle.

He struggled and screamed but faster and faster the boy sank into the earth.

When he awoke, Bobby, found the large clown that had tormented him at the carnival standing over him.

The clown grabbed the boy and dragged him outside. The boy screamed and Tiger heard him. Tiger grabbed the clown by the back of his neck and rammed his head into the side of the barn. His runny brains ran down the side of the barn.

Tiger found an old- plastic- peanut butter jar and he poured some of the clown’s blood into the empty jar. He hid the jar full of blood under a pile of hay and both Bobby and Tiger went back to bed.

The next day, the sun, just barely poked out over the horizon. Bobby awoke early and he saw Tiger was gone. When he walked outside, Bobby, found Tiger was cooking in a metal pot over a fire.

‘’Hey Tiger, where did you get that food,’’ Bobby asked.

‘’I hunted it this morning while you were asleep.’’ Tiger’s hair blew in the wind.

‘’What is it?’’ Bobby asked.

‘’ Deer,’’ Tiger replied.

’’How’d you kill it without a weapon,” Bobby asked.

‘’I snapped its neck,’’ Tiger stated calmly.

The man and the boy ate the deer meat, quickly and hurriedly rushed off to find the dummy.

It was around noon and the sun was directly overhead. Sweat poured off the boy and Tiger’s faces.

The boy and Tiger saw the evil dummy duck into a diner. Both Tiger and Bobby chased him inside the diner. The diner smelled of bacon cooking and coffee percolating. The people inside the diner were older and they seemed very stiff. Tiger and Bobby saw the dummy standing in front of the back door, just grinning at the boy and his accomplice. The dummy, quickly escaped through the back door and when Tiger and Bobby tried to chase after him the door was slammed shut and everyone in the diner stood in their way.

‘’Please let us go, the boy and I must break the curse.’’ Tiger pleaded.

‘’You’re not going anywhere fella.’’ One guy wearing a checkered hat said harshly.

The people in the diner contorted their faces in ugly demonic scowls.

Tiger lowered his shoulders and drove through the mass of humanity. He rammed his shoulder into the door until it swing open. Next, Tiger saw a small man on a motorcycle sitting in the parking lot. Tiger lifted the man by the back of his leather jacket and calmly placed him on the ground. Tiger started up the motorcycle and Bobby hopped on the back and two friends tore off down the highway.

One of the old ladies, in the group of possessed old people, shrieked until her face split away from the skull and fire poured out of her mouth. The fire formed a long line. Bobby could feel the heat of the fire on the back of his legs. ’’Yikes, speed up or we’re going to be a couple of roasted marshmallows!” Bobby shrieked. Tiger sped up and soon they were safe. ‘’Whew, that sure was close,’’ Bobby said as he wiped

imaginary sweat from off his brow. The rest of the trip was silent. That night, the man and the boy stayed in the woods. They fashioned a hut out of twigs and blankets out of deer hyde. The Sky was as bright as a

Lite Brite toy. A gentle breeze kissed Tiger and Bobby’s faces. ‘’Do you know what the wind is Bobby,’’ Tiger asked.

Bobby shook his head as he took a bite out of a crunchy, roasted beetle.

‘It’s the spirits of your dead ancestors telling you that you are close to fulfilling your true destiny.’’ Tiger boasted.

’’Does that mean we are close to breaking this dumb curse,” Bobby asked.

‘’I’d say so Bobby.’’ The Native American man’s voice was soothing and paternal.

That night, for the first time since he had been cursed, Bobby, slept peacefully and without a nightmare.

The next day, Bobby saw the dummy staring at him. His face was wooden and cracked. Bobby screamed as he flew off the ground on which he had been sleeping. ‘’It’s ok the dummy is dead,’’ Tiger whispered.

Bobby laughed when he saw the split-open skull of the decimated dummy. “I put the dummy’s brain fluid in this pouch I made from bear droppings,’’ Tiger said.

Tiger and the boy hurried off to the barn, where the clown blood was stored. Tiger retrieved the jar of blood and dipped his finger in the blood and he smeared the blood on the boy’s cheek. The blood felt warm against Bobby’s skin.

Tiger handed the boy the pouch, full of brain juice, and told him to drink it.

‘’It tastes like peanut butter.’’ Bobby thought. Tiger chanted as he waved a tree leaf in front of the boy’s

face. After several minutes, the ritual was over and the curse seemed to have been lifted. ’’Is it over?” Bobby asked.

Tiger nodded.

Bobby danced around and cheered loudly. He wrapped his arms around the well-muscled Native American man’s waist. We did it Tiger; Can you believe it we broke the curse!” Bobby felt fresh hot tears burn his cheeks. ‘’Thank you so much, I love you, Tiger,’’ Bobby whispered.

‘’You’re my best friend,’’ Bobby whispered.

Tiger drove the boy home on his stolen motorcycle. When Bobby reached his front door the motorcycle and its rider turned to red dust and blew away in the breeze.

When he stepped through the front door Bobby was greeted by both his loving parents.

“Where have you been we have been worried sick about you?” Bobby’s mother said.

“It’s a long story, mom,’’ Bobby muttered.

Darren walked into the room. “Hey squirt you’re alright welcome home,’’ Daren said as he slapped his younger brother a high five.

He walked upstairs and sat down at his computer upstairs. He read his new email from the gypsy lady who initially had told him about the curse. ‘’The curse has been lifted and your life will resume as it was before you were cursed; however be warned if another curse befalls you, young man, your next outcome may not be so happy.’’ The gypsy’s email read.

Even though they never talked much before, when Bobby saw Danny Thompson at school, the next day Bobby ran up and hugged him. Danny’s mouth hung open in bewilderment. ’’Of course, I’m alive you nimrod; why wouldn’t I be alive and why are you hugging me? Are you hitting on me or something, you

big homo?” Danny asked.

Bobby could care less about Danny’s hazing because he was there to do it and somehow, the taunts of a classmate, were flea-sized in comparison to the earth-shattering Hellish torments he had been through for the past couple of weeks. Bobby sat in, even some of his more boring classes, with a huge grin on his face that day. The next afternoon, Bobby went over to Joey’s house. When he walked into his friend’s bedroom he saw his friend’s sour disposition plastered all over his face. “Hey man, why are you so upset?’’ Bobby asked.

Joey hung his head and buried it inside his own hands. ’’I don’t want to talk about it,” Joey muttered.

Bobby frowned. Listen, bro, whatever it is you can talk to me about it. I’ll understand.’’ Bobby placed a sympathetic hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘’No one would or could understand; heck I don’t understand it,’’ Joey muttered.

’’Did you fail a big math test dude? If so; it’s not a big deal.” Bobby stated calmly.

Joey shook his head as his hands started to tremble. “This is much worse than a thousand failed math tests.’’ Joey began to cry. Bobby hugged his friend. ’’Look man, I’m your best friend, just tell me what is wrong and if I can I’ll try to fix it for you.” Bobby chimed in.

‘’No one can help me with a problem this big.’’ Joey laughed sarcastically.

Joey looked at his friend and studied the contours of his thin face.

’’Bobby, I’m cursed,” Joey whispered.

The words sent shivers down Bobby’s spine. ‘’How do you know you’re cursed?’’ Bobby asked.

Joey showed his friend the email stating he was cursed by the gypsy woman.

Bobby shook his head. ’’Maybe it’s a joke,” Bobby suggested weakly.

Suddenly a dozen birds dive-bombed into Joey’s bedroom window. The birds squawked as they desperately tried breaking through the glass.

Soon both boys realized that the curse was no joke.