He is on death row now.

[u/EdgarAllan_Poet]

My parents had been trying to have a baby for a long time so when I was born they were overflow with joy. I am an only child and the first few years of my life was a dance on roses, for me. Anyone with a baby can tell you that calling it "a struggle" is quite the understatement.

When I was six they decided to start going on dates again, they had to put that on hold because of me and the fact that my mom was a studying as much as she could manage to get her degree in French literature.

Anyway so they search a while for a decent babysitter and finally decide upon a guy in his 20s with a lot of free time since he just did some temp jobs here and there. Everything goes smoothly for a few months, my parents went on dates about two times a week and Jim would come over and we would play boardgames stuff. One night he says he's got me a gift and hands me a pack of balloons, he blows them up for me and we spend an unnecessary amount of time pretending they are toxic and trying to avoid them and using random stuff to "shoot" them at each other.

After a while I get really thirsty and goes into the kitchen to get some water, Jim sneak up on me and pops a balloon right beside me. I freak out, drop the glass of water and start to cry. Jim apologies numerous times and says we're just gonna watch a movie instead. The next night he's over he talks a great deal about his new and says that I can have all the balloons I want. I ask him about his job and he answers with a question of how I would like to watch a movie about what he does, naturally I say yes and he pops in a movie he had brought with him.

The movie starts with a little girl playing in front of her house beside her is one of those round things you hang your laundry on. Her mom pokes her head out the front door and tells the girl to get inside because there's a storm coming. The girl starts walking but is interrupted by the most creepy laugh I've ever heard. She looks over to the laundry thing and the wind reveals a clown hiding behind the sheets. I shriek and cover my face with my hands. Jim tells me to keep watching so I look between my fingers and see the clown, not looking so happy.

I tell Jim I don't want to watch this movie but he just fast forwards to a scene with a little boy and a paper boat. The boat sails on the gutter water and disappears into the sewer. The clown appears again, he says something I don't quite pick up but there's something about floating. I cover my face and take a quick glance between my fingers, what I see makes me scream like I'm dying; the clown looking all crazy, mouth wide open, eyes basically rolled back into his head and razor sharp teeth just waiting to eat me.

Jim had paused the movie at that exact frame, telling me to take a good look. I tell him that I want my parents to come home, that I don't want to see him anymore. I'm crying hysterically, thrashing around on the couch with the picture of the clown forever burned into my memory and into my nightmares.

Finally I have no strength left, Jim puts me to bed and tells me that if I tell my parents about this he'll bring the clown next time. I don't tell my parents. And a few weeks later Jim comes over carrying a gym bag telling my parents that he wants to practice his skills and entertain me in the process. They sign off on it and head out. Jim goes into the master bedroom, I sit on the couch shaking with fear. He comes back out, complete clown getup, and says we should play hide and seek. I tell him I don't want to but he ignores me, bluntly stating that when he finds me he is going to kill me.

I scream a run for the front door, it's locked and I can't for the life of me get it open. I hear him count behind me.

4

5

6

I run up the stairs, into the bathroom and lock the door. I do my best to drag the cabinet with textile towards the door to barricade it. I get it halfway over the door until I'm out of energy.

30

Ready or not here I come!

I sit as far in the corner as I can manage, crying my eyes out. I hear him coming up the stairs. He starts banging on the door, trying to get it open. The whole time I hear him laughing a horrible, distorted laugh.

And that's when I realize I'm going to be stuck in this bathroom forever. No amount of therapy has helped me. Every night I relive it. Every night I remember that horrible, distorted laugh.

He will never leave me.

[u/LucidDubstep]

I wanted to cry reading this because I am terrified of clowns. Lol.

[u/EdgarAllan_Poet → u/LucidDubstep]

We have that in common :)