Dante's Nightmare

The boy rested his hands on his knees and smiled while the clown picked the pumpkin pieces off his face. "Pernicious the Clown ladies and gentlemen!" the ringmaster announced through gritted teeth. Pernicious looked at the bear and danced. The more he tried to get the bear to follow his movement the more the audience laughed, but Calypso would not dance. The laughter from the audience quickly turned to shouting and moaning to get off the stage. "Let's choose someone from the audience," the ringmaster declared becoming embarrassed that his magnificent act had become a magnificent flop. He pointed towards the boy, but the boy shook his head. "What about you?" He asked a blonde girl no older than seven. She giggled and looked up at her intoxicated mother who nodded approving the request; she rushed up onto the stage, she straightened out the white ruffles on her polka dot dress before waving at the clown. Pernicious waved back and winked at the round faced little girl, to which the audience laughed once again.

"She won't bite," the ringmaster assured the little girl leading her towards Calypso; he looked the bear in her eyes, his anger towards the rebellious beast enraged him. "What is your name?" He asked the shy girl, "I'm Mallory," she answered swaying nervously holding onto her blonde pigtails. "Have a dance with Calypso," he insisted pushing the girl towards the bear. She looked up at the bear which immediately stood upright, dimples formed in her cheeks as she smiled at the bear. Pernicious began to point at various people in the audience and waved goodbye to them, he then looked at the ringmaster and waved his index finger at him. The little boy watched eagerly; Pernicious clapped his hands, the stage lights went out and all that could be heard was the sound of chomping and cracking of bone.

The sound of Calypso's roaring could be heard before screams filled the decrepit circus tent. The stage light came back on; a maniacal laugh came from the clown as he threw his head back dramatically, exposing what looked like a severed tongue from his gaping mouth and a set of sharp teeth. He watched eagerly whilst his grisly companion pinned down the little girl, sinking its canines over half her head and neck it ripped a chunk of her face out exposing part of her skull. Pernicious revelled in great delight and clapped his hands while the bear shook her lifeless body in its mouth. The clown danced up to his bear and yanked a blonde ponytail out from its teeth, the smell of fresh blood stirred in the air, Pernicious lay the blood-soaked hair against his silvery mop and pirouetted around his ursine companion.

The bear growled at her master before twirling around, she groaned as the clown grabbed her paws and began dancing with her. He was Pernicious the Clown, and he was glorious, he would split your sides laughing and then sew you back together himself.

Pernicious cartwheeled towards the ringmaster cowering in the corner, he grinned showing his yellow decaying teeth before picking up the ringmaster's whip. Pernicious looked at Calypso and winked, a mischievous smile appeared across his leathery face. He turned to the ringmaster, who shaking uncontrollably begged: "Please," he said, kneeling before the clown. Pernicious frowned, and struck the whip across the ringmaster's face, the sound of skin tearing followed by the man's cries satisfied Pernicious' appetite for vengeance. The man fell to the ground covering his face, the bells on Pernicious' shoes jingled approaching the now bloody faced man. He lifted the whip and struck it down across the ringmaster's back ripping his shirt open. Pernicious watched with glee while the man's skin began to split open and blood slowly seeped out.

He looked back towards his companion and lifted his scarred left hand. He pointed towards the back of the tent and mimicked clawing and biting to which the bear roared, pulling on the spiked chain around her neck. Pernicious frowned at the bear and mimed rubbing away tears. Calypso stormed off in a rage to the back of the tent while Pernicious turned his attention back onto the ringmaster.