A/N: I know I've been constantly updating my stories recently, mostly because I'm somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to these stories. Speaking of which, I realized that like Jason the Toymaker, Candy Pop is a very recognizable character in the Creepypasta fandom. When I first saw him, I thought of something like, "Ugh, great another gay-pasta", but then I looked at the story "The Purple Balloon", and I found something I did not expect: It's actually halfway decent. I mean, the premise itself isn't bad in the slightest, but I found some rather unfortunate flaws that prevented the story from being legitimately good. As someone who feels at least unsettled by clowns/jesters, I didn't really feel intimidated by Candy Pop, mostly because he appears into the story out of nowhere, and most of the sentence structures and punctuations feel really awkward, preventing me from getting immersed into the story. I decided to fix that issue to at least make it a little better. I hope you find some differences between this story and the original, and please comment down below and tell me what you could've done to make the story better. Enjoy!
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There was a time that made me wish I could just run away and never look back. I wanted to scream, but I could only cry internally from all the stress my family caused me. My stepmother always went at my father's neck like a rabid dog. There is no peace, and sometimes I wish I could just crawl into a hole and never come out again. Every day, I desperately prayed to God that things would at least get a little better, but it never did.
The only thing I looked forward to was sleeping. The constant oppression and neglect from my stepmother only increased with each passing day. Sometimes, I couldn't help but lie in bed and wonder if my family or friends would even miss me if I went away. Would people cry, or just move on?
The only love I remember feeling was from my father, but lately, things have taken a turn for the worse. The fights have gotten more intense, and there were days I would see him crying, praying for a miracle to happen.
I've got a secret: Ever since I gave up hope, I've been having the same dream every night. It wasn't a nightmare, but it was strange, nonetheless. I always find myself in total darkness, but with a single spotlight hanging over me, and the floor is made of cobblestone. I always look for a way out, but there is none. When the realization sets that I'm stuck in there, a feeling of despair and hopelessness overcomes me, and I fall to the stone floor crying. Soon, I tremble and groan as if I'm in pain. I don't feel anything physically, but I always feel like I wish I was dead.
Then, I hear the sound of a melody being played quietly on a music box, and the feeling of despair goes away. I'm able to get up and then look around. In another part of the area, I see a floating, perfectly still purple balloon with a smiling face, and the long string is just inches above the ground, lit up by another spotlight. The second I see that balloon, a feeling of peace and calmness falls upon me. I move closer to the balloon, ready to touch it, but when my hand inches closer to it, it suddenly bursts in my face and I startle awake.
The last time I had that nightmare, I woke up with a jolt and realized that the sun was setting. I waited in my room for several hours. The grating sound of the clock above me contributed to my frustration. I did not hear my father and stepmother yelling at each other the entire time, which was strange.
I feared that something was wrong, and the eerie silence heightened my anxiety until I couldn't take it anymore. In my haste, I got to the door and before I could get to the doorknob, it swung open. It was my dad. Beaten and bruised from the abuse my stepmother inflicted upon him. I gazed up at his tired face as I slowly stepped towards him.
Then and there, I decided that enough was enough. I lost all rational thought as I grabbed his hand. I gathered my strength and made my way past my stepmother by pushing her aside. Seeing the rage plaster upon her face made me panic as I tugged my father to his car.
I got him into the passenger's side and scooted over to the driver's side. I frantically locked the doors as I looked for my father's keys. I could hear my stepmother's foul words, cursing out my name.
"ALEXA!" She yelled in a growling, hoarse voice.
My only thought was to take my father away from here as fast as I could. I panicked as I struggled to find the keys in the little light that I had. A sudden bang on the car window put me into a state of shock as my eyes snapped back to it. I saw my stepmother holding up a baseball bat and bashing it against a window. I screamed in terror as my stepmother slammed the baseball bat against the doors and windows again and again. It must have been enough to finally snap my father out of his haze. He grabbed the keys out of the glove compartment and suddenly grabbed me. He shoved me out of the seat before he finally started the car and finally sped off, leaving a trail of smoke and skid marks behind.
My panic only heightened as we flew down the road. I pleaded with him to slow down, but he only sped up more. I could feel the vehicle start to spin out of control. The sudden thrashing shook both of us in turbulence, and the spinning finally stopped when the car crashed into a streetlight. The restraints from the seatbelt that were supposed to save me broke, and I was thrown out the windshield. I landed several feet away from the crash, and everything went black upon impact.
I thought I was dead. When I was able to force my eyes open, I felt isolated. The cold, hard ground beneath me sent goosebumps along my skin. I was gripped with sudden pain as I sat up. My head was pounding from the hard landing. I tried to steady myself, but then I realized that all I could hear was the hollow sound of a car alarm. There wasn't any other noise. Even the cool breeze that touched my skin was silent. I slowly brought myself to my feet. While looking around, I realized that something was wrong.
"Dad?!" I called out. There was no answer.
I hollered my father's name over and over in dismay. Still no answer. I screamed again and again, only to be greeted by silence. I had to stop before I not only lost my father, but my voice as well. I was so worn out I couldn't stop rubbing my eyes. The more I did, the more the light around me started to fade into darkness. I felt uneasy as I opened my eyes, I was suddenly blinded by a single spotlight, and everything around me seemed to fade into obscurity. I looked down, and I saw to my shock that the ground was made of cobblestone.
Before I could tell what was going on, I heard a faint jingling sound echoing around me. It was followed by laughter, which made my anxiety well up again. I called out, hoping it was my father.
"H-Hello? Dad? Is that you?"
I waited several minutes, but there was no reply; it only seemed to confirm my worst fear. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight as I felt an overwhelming presence appear behind me. I turned around quickly, and there, in colors of blue, magenta, and... teal, stood a towering jester, who carried a mischievous and lazy demeanor.
He looked bored and quickly took notice that I was standing there. He didn't say a word. The only sound was the faint jingling of the bells tied to the ends of his long blue hair. I couldn't look away from him. His flamboyant, vibrant features brought out so much life and made him stand out that much more. The jester came closer to me with a grin that I wasn't sure I could trust. I didn't understand where he came from or how I came to be in this dark oblivion.
Without a word, the jester started to do tricks that would leave anyone in awe, one of which made a purple balloon with a smiley face mystically appear in his hand. I recognized that balloon right away; it was the same one I saw in my dreams. He looked at me with a smile as he offered it to me. I didn't want to take it from him. I didn't know where he came from, much less what he was.
I drew back slightly as my thoughts returned to my father. I had to find him; I didn't have time to be entertained by that thing.
I turned quickly to move away, but he was there in front of me again. He looked disappointed and shook his head as he offered me the purple balloon again. I could not stand the eerie silence that lingered between us.
"Who are you?" I asked lowly after gathering my courage.
The jester still didn't say anything, but pulled out a deck of cards. I asked him again, and this time, he pulled out a card with a letter on it. It started to dance around him, and with each following question, he pulled out another card. I glared at the cards and spelled out the name he presented to me.
"C-A-N-D-Y P-O-P. Candy Pop?" I asked.
The only response he gave me was a very sudden and exaggerated nod. Even though he was friendly to me so far, I didn't know what that jester could do, and that thought was horrifying enough for me.
He started doing tricks again, and this time, he made the purple balloon disappear. I watched as he made a blue lollipop appear, then another, and another... until he held three of them. I wasn't sure what to say or do, since he wasn't speaking to me. So I only watched in silence.
He took my hand, placed the lollipops in my palm and closed his hand around mine. Once again, he made that same purple balloon appear and backed away. He crouched with his back to me, and all I could hear was the sound of rubber being stretched. When he finished, he turned around and I saw that the balloon had the shape of a flower.
Candy Pop's smile was sweet and kind as he offered me the balloon again. I was not sure why he was so persistent for me to take his balloon. Maybe... Maybe he was really just trying to befriend me? After a moment, I finally decided to accept his gift. I examined the balloon and gazed up at Candy Pop. I was taken aback when his expression changed from sweet and kind to sinister and maniacal.
I quickly backed away and hugged the balloon to my chest tightly, and my heart sank when I felt my body elevating from the ground, higher and higher. I couldn't stop myself from floating further into the light above.
"W-What is this!?" I whimpered as I realized I couldn't take my hands off the balloon. It felt like it had attached itself to my skin.
The light above me grew brighter and brighter. I looked down and all I could see was Candy Pop waving goodbye at me. I looked at him closer, focusing my gaze on his shadow... That's when I noticed something strange: The shadow didn't match Candy Pop's form. The shadow cast upon the floor projected a larger figure with devilish-looking horns and a tail.
When I tried to look at his face again, it was distorted, and I could hear multiple whispers in my ears. I felt my head spinning. I closed my eyes tightly, wishing that whatever was happening would stop. The light and the unintelligible whispers were unbearable, and soon enough, I could feel the heat over my head until I heard a faint voice.
"Alexa! Alexa, wake up! ALEXA!''
My father was calling out to me. I suddenly felt so cold as if I had been dead. I embraced myself so hard that I popped the balloon without even realizing it. I opened my eyes slowly and the bright light that had been overhead slowly focused into a streetlight.
My father was kneeling next to me, checking me over to see if I was alright. Almost immediately, I started to cry. I hugged him, ignoring the pain. He was staring down at me with a concerned look. Before I knew it, we were at the hospital. My dad was kind enough to carry me through the entire road. He was exhausted, but he walked all the way, just to make sure I was taken to get my wounds attended to. The doctor said it was a miracle we had both survived. As much as it hurt, deep down I was glad that we were far, far from my stepmother, and extremely happy that I survived along with my father.
It'd been almost two weeks since the accident, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was still wrong. The repetitive dream was gone. I simply shrugged off those thoughts and took a deep breath. I was happy that we both got away from my stepmother and could start again. The weather outside my hospital window has really made this feel like the beginning of something new.
I was startled when the doctor opened the door without knocking, probably back to check on my progress. I smiled to myself as I watched the doctor's back. Once he faced me though, my smile quickly fell away as I saw him take a very familiar shape, and he held something in his hand. He quietly spoke to me.
"You popped the last balloon I gave you. But do not worry, Alexa... I got you a new one!"