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Description
Screams of children could be heard on the playground as they ran about finally settling in a circle. Well, the adults would assume it was laughter but in reality, it was the screams of torment of a small boy encircled by other children. The boy certainly was small a good size tinier than a normal child in sixth grade and he was being pinned down by another boy who looked like he should be in eighth grade.
The children laughed while he screeched, as the attacker began the ritualistic bully custom, of the spit torture.
“You act like you’re so much smarter than us!” The bully slammed the boy’s head against the ground as he struggled. “But being smart doesn’t matter. It’s all survival of the fittest!! And you are too puny to do anything about it! You’re like a bug and I’m going to squish you, Michael.” The large boy let the spit fall to Michael’s disgusted face, and then began beating on the defenseless boy.
Michael’s screams were covered by laughter of the children almost as if they were planning to block out his pleas of help with their shrill chuckles, but they simply took sick pleasure out of the “teacher’s pet’s” pain.
Michael struggled but was too weak to do anything but lay there. The small boy fell silent, giving up all hope of being saved until an adult’s voice called out in a fury.
“What are you doing?!”
Instantly the children scrambled. The bully began to run but was caught by the collar.
“Sam. You little shit, I should’ve known.” A large man in his late twenties glared down at Sam.
“C-coach Lewis!” Sam stuttered not being able to look his teacher in the eyes but paused. “You swore, I should tell Principle Dale.” Sam then smirked at the look on the coach’s face.
The coach grimaced then released the boy reluctantly.
“Get back to the school I’ll deal with you later.” Coach Lewis pointed to the school and Sam began to walk back but turned to look at Michael.
“Let’s play again after school. Buddy.”
Michael winced as the coach helped him to his feet. Michael then pushed away from the man and began walking away from the school.
“Michael where are you going?” The cries of the coach faded as Michael ran into the forest behind the school.
This was it; he was never going back there. Who needs that place?! Tears began to streak his face as he rushed through the woods but then he froze in his tracks.
There, on a stump in front of him, was what looked to be a jack in the box. Its crank slowly turning, playing an off tune “Pop goes the weasel”. When it reached its climax, it stopped. Nothing happened.
Michael jumped when suddenly he heard a voice whisper.
“PoP gOes tHe WeASeL.”
Michael turned and fell back over the stump in shock.
There, in front of him, was a monochromic clown. The creature had a pointed black and white nose, and a hunched back with long arms almost touching the ground. A sharp, wide grin was plastered across his face as he watched the boy scramble up.
“W-who are you?” Michael managed to squeak as the clown tilted his head, that disturbing grin not fading.
“The name’s Laughing Jack.” He bowed and then his smile got even wider. “It’s nice to finally meet you Michael.”
“H-how do you know my name?” Michael whispered as the clown jumped up gracefully up onto the stump peering into his eyes.
“I’ve been watching you. And it seems, you need a friend.” Laughing Jack patted the boy on his head and lifted up his chin, examining his bruises, his smile never dying.
“A friend.” Michael’s mind rolled over the word. “No one’s ever wanted to be my friend before.”
Laughing Jack wrapped an arm around the boy.
“Well I do! So what do you say kiddo? Do you want to be friends?”
“Friends?” Michael paused.
“The best of friends!” Laughing Jack handed the boy a few hard candies, and Michael hesitantly took them.
An hour or two passed, the two had played games like tag and hide and seek. All the while Michael was enjoying himself, and his strange friend. For a while he had forgotten about his worries until Laughing Jack mentioned Sam.
“I see what he does to you every day. Don’t you want to get him back?”
“What do you have in mind? He’s bigger than me.” Michael shrugged popping a candy in his mouth.
Laughing Jack’s grin became more sinister as he spoke.
“Why don’t we scare him?”
“Scare him? How? ” Michael leaned in closer as the clown began to whisper.
“You’ll lead him into the forest and I’ll handle the rest...”
Michael left the forest about an hour later and headed towards his school. It was just after three when the children rushed out of the elementary school doors, Sam being the first one out.
“Sam! Hey Sam!” Michael called out to the bully who turned towards him.
“Michael.” Sam growled. “I got my parents called today because of you. And by the way everyone is looking for you.” Sam tried to walk away but his sleeve was tugged by the smaller boy. “Hey let go I don’t want to get into any more trouble!”
“Really? Well I was going to show you something cool in the forest I found.” Michael shrugged and then turned back around. Sam’s curiosity got the best of him and he called out.
“What?”
“It’s something REALLY cool.” Michael egged on, a wide smile on his face.
“Well what is it?!” Sam shouted getting impatient.
“You’ll just have to see.” Michael said in a sing song voice.
Sam followed after Michael irritated but he was too curious to pass up this really cool thing.
The two boys walked into the forest, the sky was getting darker as the sun was setting, making the forest almost impossible to maneuver as they got deeper into the heart of the woods.
“Michael is there really something in here? I can’t see anything! Where are you taking me?” Sam squinted as Michael became a mass of dark shapes. Michael never spoke, instead silence answered Sam’s question as the boy began to panic. “Michael! Oh God… DID YOU DITCH ME?! I SWEAR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!” Suddenly, Sam ran into something, wait, no, someone. “Michael?”
No, this person was too tall to be Michael. Sam’s eyes adjusted to the sight before him, and he screamed in shock and terror.
His screams were muffled as Laughing Jack grabbed the boy by the throat with his left hand holding a hammer in his right. The wide grin revealing several long nails in his mouth. The creature choked Sam until he almost passed out then slammed him into a tree. Sam’s eyes widened when the clown pinned his hand to the tree and quickly raised the hammer.
Before Sam realized what the clown had planned to do, it was already too late, and he nailed the boy’s hand to the tree. Sam screamed as he heard the bones in his hand crack and his flesh tear under the weight of his body, for he was a good way up the tree. Then to his horror, Laughing Jack pinned the other hand to the tree and repeated the process, all the while smiling a twisted grin. Sam sobbed as the pain jolted through his body and felt warm blood escape his wounds. Then the clown removed Sam’s shoes tossing them to the side. He was about to nail Sam’s feet to the tree as well but paused as he heard a cry of dismay.
“What are you doing LJ?!” Michael’s eyes were filled with sheer terror when he looked upon the clown’s work. “You were just supposed to scare him!”
Laughing Jack chuckled and then grabbed Sam’s horrified face.
“He is scared, kiddo! See! ” The creature nuzzled Sam and he whimpered, tears rolling down his cheeks. “He is absolutely terrified! It’s what you wanted.” When he said this Sam looked towards Michael with tears in his eyes.
“No… this isn’t what I wanted! This is NOT what I wanted!! I just wanted him to know what it is like, to feel powerless, to feel frightened. I just wanted to teach him a lesson. What you’re doing LJ, is… it’s… torture! Pure torture!” Michael screamed at the clown, grasping his hair in frustration.
Laughing Jack chortled, his hammer still in hand and turned to Michael.
“I go through all this trouble, to hang up this piñata, and now you’re saying you don’t even want the party?” Laughing Jack, not even looking at Sam behind him anymore, raised his hammer to Sam’s head, still staring intently at Michael while doing so. “Now that’s just rude!”
“No please don’t!” Sam cried out.
Michael watched in pure terror as Sam’s face was bashed in over and over until it became an unrecognizable, bloody mush. Sam’s eyes hung down from what was just a moment ago his face and the clown tore them away, dangling them in front of Michael.
“You are getting very sleepy!” He laughed and then tossed the eyes to the ground.
Michael’s stomach turned and he vomited right then and there, his whole body shaking.
“Oh come on that was funny!” LJ cooed, his laughter growing stronger.
“Oh Michael I thought we could be friends you and I.” Laughing Jack’s smile stretched even wider. “But you are no fun. In fact you bore me.”
Michael scrambled up from the ground as the clown began to trudge towards him. The boy turned and ran. He stumbled through the dark forest, his heart thumping with all it’s might as he sprinted away from the clown. But everywhere he turned seemed to lead him even deeper into the forest, with Laughing Jack’s laughter close behind. He could hear his name being called out by the clown, which sent chills up his spine. Michael grabbed a large broken off branch and hid behind the nearest tree.
The boy could hear footsteps coming closer and Laughing Jack’s voice call out his name. He gripped the branch tightly as a shadow appeared and then, rammed the pursuer as hard as he could, stabbing the predator with the large, pointed branch.
The shadow gasped and fell to the ground, writhing in pain, but it wasn’t Laughing Jack. It was Coach Lewis, he looked up at Michael blood seeping from his mouth, his lungs obviously pierced by the branch.
Michael stared at the Coach in shock while flash lights in the distance and voices claiming they had found him quickly rushed up to him. A large group composed of teachers, his parents and Sam’s parents all gazed at the boy in horror.
As the flashlights fell upon Michael he saw what they were seeing. He was covered in blood from head to toe, standing over a dying man. And he began to laugh. And laugh. And laugh.

Description
Screams of children could be heard on the playground as they ran about finally settling in a circle. Well, the adults would assume it was laughter but in reality, it was the screams of torment of a small boy encircled by other children. The boy certainly was small a good size tinier than a normal child in sixth grade and he was being pinned down by another boy who looked like he should be in eighth grade.
The children laughed while he screeched, as the attacker began the ritualistic bully custom, of the spit torture.
“You act like you’re so much smarter than us!” The bully slammed the boy’s head against the ground as he struggled. “But being smart doesn’t matter. It’s all survival of the fittest!! And you are too puny to do anything about it! You’re like a bug and I’m going to squish you, Michael.” The large boy let the spit fall to Michael’s disgusted face, and then began beating on the defenseless boy.
Michael’s screams were covered by laughter of the children almost as if they were planning to block out his pleas of help with their shrill chuckles, but they simply took sick pleasure out of the “teacher’s pet’s” pain.
Michael struggled but was too weak to do anything but lay there. The small boy fell silent, giving up all hope of being saved until an adult’s voice called out in a fury.
“What are you doing?!”
Instantly the children scrambled. The bully began to run but was caught by the collar.
“Sam. You little shit, I should’ve known.” A large man in his late twenties glared down at Sam.
“C-coach Lewis!” Sam stuttered not being able to look his teacher in the eyes but paused. “You swore, I should tell Principle Dale.” Sam then smirked at the look on the coach’s face.
The coach grimaced then released the boy reluctantly.
“Get back to the school I’ll deal with you later.” Coach Lewis pointed to the school and Sam began to walk back but turned to look at Michael.
“Let’s play again after school. Buddy.”
Michael winced as the coach helped him to his feet. Michael then pushed away from the man and began walking away from the school.
“Michael where are you going?” The cries of the coach faded as Michael ran into the forest behind the school.
This was it; he was never going back there. Who needs that place?! Tears began to streak his face as he rushed through the woods but then he froze in his tracks.
There, on a stump in front of him, was what looked to be a jack in the box. Its crank slowly turning, playing an off tune “Pop goes the weasel”. When it reached its climax, it stopped. Nothing happened.
Michael jumped when suddenly he heard a voice whisper.
“PoP gOes tHe WeASeL.”
Michael turned and fell back over the stump in shock.
There, in front of him, was a monochromic clown. The creature had a pointed black and white nose, and a hunched back with long arms almost touching the ground. A sharp, wide grin was plastered across his face as he watched the boy scramble up.
“W-who are you?” Michael managed to squeak as the clown tilted his head, that disturbing grin not fading.
“The name’s Laughing Jack.” He bowed and then his smile got even wider. “It’s nice to finally meet you Michael.”
“H-how do you know my name?” Michael whispered as the clown jumped up gracefully up onto the stump peering into his eyes.
“I’ve been watching you. And it seems, you need a friend.” Laughing Jack patted the boy on his head and lifted up his chin, examining his bruises, his smile never dying.
“A friend.” Michael’s mind rolled over the word. “No one’s ever wanted to be my friend before.”
Laughing Jack wrapped an arm around the boy.
“Well I do! So what do you say kiddo? Do you want to be friends?”
“Friends?” Michael paused.
“The best of friends!” Laughing Jack handed the boy a few hard candies, and Michael hesitantly took them.
An hour or two passed, the two had played games like tag and hide and seek. All the while Michael was enjoying himself, and his strange friend. For a while he had forgotten about his worries until Laughing Jack mentioned Sam.
“I see what he does to you every day. Don’t you want to get him back?”
“What do you have in mind? He’s bigger than me.” Michael shrugged popping a candy in his mouth.
Laughing Jack’s grin became more sinister as he spoke.
“Why don’t we scare him?”
“Scare him? How? ” Michael leaned in closer as the clown began to whisper.
“You’ll lead him into the forest and I’ll handle the rest...”
Michael left the forest about an hour later and headed towards his school. It was just after three when the children rushed out of the elementary school doors, Sam being the first one out.
“Sam! Hey Sam!” Michael called out to the bully who turned towards him.
“Michael.” Sam growled. “I got my parents called today because of you. And by the way everyone is looking for you.” Sam tried to walk away but his sleeve was tugged by the smaller boy. “Hey let go I don’t want to get into any more trouble!”
“Really? Well I was going to show you something cool in the forest I found.” Michael shrugged and then turned back around. Sam’s curiosity got the best of him and he called out.
“What?”
“It’s something REALLY cool.” Michael egged on, a wide smile on his face.
“Well what is it?!” Sam shouted getting impatient.
“You’ll just have to see.” Michael said in a sing song voice.
Sam followed after Michael irritated but he was too curious to pass up this really cool thing.
The two boys walked into the forest, the sky was getting darker as the sun was setting, making the forest almost impossible to maneuver as they got deeper into the heart of the woods.
“Michael is there really something in here? I can’t see anything! Where are you taking me?” Sam squinted as Michael became a mass of dark shapes. Michael never spoke, instead silence answered Sam’s question as the boy began to panic. “Michael! Oh God… DID YOU DITCH ME?! I SWEAR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!” Suddenly, Sam ran into something, wait, no, someone. “Michael?”
No, this person was too tall to be Michael. Sam’s eyes adjusted to the sight before him, and he screamed in shock and terror.
His screams were muffled as Laughing Jack grabbed the boy by the throat with his left hand holding a hammer in his right. The wide grin revealing several long nails in his mouth. The creature choked Sam until he almost passed out then slammed him into a tree. Sam’s eyes widened when the clown pinned his hand to the tree and quickly raised the hammer.
Before Sam realized what the clown had planned to do, it was already too late, and he nailed the boy’s hand to the tree. Sam screamed as he heard the bones in his hand crack and his flesh tear under the weight of his body, for he was a good way up the tree. Then to his horror, Laughing Jack pinned the other hand to the tree and repeated the process, all the while smiling a twisted grin. Sam sobbed as the pain jolted through his body and felt warm blood escape his wounds. Then the clown removed Sam’s shoes tossing them to the side. He was about to nail Sam’s feet to the tree as well but paused as he heard a cry of dismay.
“What are you doing LJ?!” Michael’s eyes were filled with sheer terror when he looked upon the clown’s work. “You were just supposed to scare him!”
Laughing Jack chuckled and then grabbed Sam’s horrified face.
“He is scared, kiddo! See! ” The creature nuzzled Sam and he whimpered, tears rolling down his cheeks. “He is absolutely terrified! It’s what you wanted.” When he said this Sam looked towards Michael with tears in his eyes.
“No… this isn’t what I wanted! This is NOT what I wanted!! I just wanted him to know what it is like, to feel powerless, to feel frightened. I just wanted to teach him a lesson. What you’re doing LJ, is… it’s… torture! Pure torture!” Michael screamed at the clown, grasping his hair in frustration.
Laughing Jack chortled, his hammer still in hand and turned to Michael.
“I go through all this trouble, to hang up this piñata, and now you’re saying you don’t even want the party?” Laughing Jack, not even looking at Sam behind him anymore, raised his hammer to Sam’s head, still staring intently at Michael while doing so. “Now that’s just rude!”
“No please don’t!” Sam cried out.
Michael watched in pure terror as Sam’s face was bashed in over and over until it became an unrecognizable, bloody mush. Sam’s eyes hung down from what was just a moment ago his face and the clown tore them away, dangling them in front of Michael.
“You are getting very sleepy!” He laughed and then tossed the eyes to the ground.
Michael’s stomach turned and he vomited right then and there, his whole body shaking.
“Oh come on that was funny!” LJ cooed, his laughter growing stronger.
“Oh Michael I thought we could be friends you and I.” Laughing Jack’s smile stretched even wider. “But you are no fun. In fact you bore me.”
Michael scrambled up from the ground as the clown began to trudge towards him. The boy turned and ran. He stumbled through the dark forest, his heart thumping with all it’s might as he sprinted away from the clown. But everywhere he turned seemed to lead him even deeper into the forest, with Laughing Jack’s laughter close behind. He could hear his name being called out by the clown, which sent chills up his spine. Michael grabbed a large broken off branch and hid behind the nearest tree.
The boy could hear footsteps coming closer and Laughing Jack’s voice call out his name. He gripped the branch tightly as a shadow appeared and then, rammed the pursuer as hard as he could, stabbing the predator with the large, pointed branch.
The shadow gasped and fell to the ground, writhing in pain, but it wasn’t Laughing Jack. It was Coach Lewis, he looked up at Michael blood seeping from his mouth, his lungs obviously pierced by the branch.
Michael stared at the Coach in shock while flash lights in the distance and voices claiming they had found him quickly rushed up to him. A large group composed of teachers, his parents and Sam’s parents all gazed at the boy in horror.
As the flashlights fell upon Michael he saw what they were seeing. He was covered in blood from head to toe, standing over a dying man. And he began to laugh. And laugh. And laugh.