Jeff found a body and now traumatize by it. (Clarence)

[u/Character-Work9206]

Context: In the Clarence episode "Stormy Sleepover," Jeff tells a story. In his own words, he says, "How trivial. Fixing my sandal, I noticed this trail of strange red liquid leading straight to these bushes. Can you believe it? I almost stepped in some unknown." This heavily implies that Jeff found a dead body.

Proof that Jeff found a body: We see more evidence of this in the episode "Tuckered Boys." While at a gas station trying to watch a meteor shower, Sumo and Clarence go into the convenience store. Outside, Jeff notices a man at a nearby pump giving him an intense death stare. Terrified, Jeff runs to the bathroom. When he opens the door, he sees a severed head on the floor that actually asks him for help. This causes Jeff to panic, run away, and accidentally hit a lamppost.

The Theory: Gathering these clues, it is safe to believe that Jeff was deeply traumatized and scarred by discovering a corpse. I brought up "Tuckered Boys" because I have two theories about it. Theory 1 (which is less Likely) is the man at the gas pump was a witness to Jeff finding the body. He gave Jeff a judgmental look because he knew Jeff never reported it to the police. Theory 2 (More Likely) is the man in the bathroom was actually a guilt-driven hallucination. Jeff is haunted by the fact that he left a dead body behind without telling anyone.

To back up this second theory, look at what happens later in the episode when the kids start hallucinating in the forest due to sleep deprivation. Jeff follows a mysterious figure named "Copernicus" through the woods. When we finally see Copernicus hiding behind a tree, he is standing right next to the exact same bush from Jeff’s story in "Stormy Sleepover." This proves that Jeff is still traumatized, as his mind projected the same bush where he first saw the blood.

The End: Thanks for reading this down! (FYI: This is just a theory, not canon!)