Microhorror Writing Contest

“Hurry up, Duke!!  I want to get there quick. ”  Mikey said.  He and his friend Duke were soaring through the woods on their bikes, desperate to get to the old fairgrounds as quick as they could.

“I’m telling you, dude.  It was a plane or something.  There’s no way it’s real.”  Duke shouted, quickly getting out of breath.

Everyone knew the old legend.  There was an old fairgrounds that townspeople hadn’t used in years.  Back in '96, there was a fire at “Screamfest”, the town’s premier fall festival.  It was still held, but at a much nicer, newer fairground.  There wasn’t much left at the old fairgrounds, just some bandstands and trash.  Legend had it, though, on rare occasions, lights were seen coming from the grounds, with some hearing the laughter of the old performer, Chuckles the Clown.

Chuckles in his heyday was the star of “Screamfest”, a terrifyingly cheerful clown brandishing a fake knife.  He would hide around the festival, popping out to scare whoever waltzed by his hiding spots, laughing as he did so.  

The old fairgrounds were on the other side of the woods, so when Duke and Mikey saw what looked like spotlights in the sky, they got on their bikes and took off.

“Ok, but what if it wasn’t a plane?  What if there really is something there right now?  Susie, from math class, told me last year she thought she saw a whole fair setup out there.”

Duke scoffed, “Mikey.  How would that even be possible?  A whole festival?  Without the town knowing?  And I’m sure Chuckles was there too,” he said mockingly.

“We’ll see, buddy” Mike said, as the two flew through the woods at the highest speed their bikes would take them.  

It was smooth sailing for a while, as the paths were well taken care of.   When they rounded the last bend, the two screeched to a halt.  

“No freakin’ way…” Mikey said as he gazed upon what looked to be an old festival.  The carousel quietly rotated with no music, and there was a faint smell of burned popcorn in the air.

“Bro…what is this?”  Duke said, mystified. 

And that’s when they saw him.  A tall man, dressed in a clown costume, silently walked out of what appeared to be an old fun house.  The boys went unnoticed, until Duke gasped at his appearance, causing Chuckles to look up.  As he did, a sly smile crossed his face as he produced a knife from his back pocket.  He began to laugh, or at least, looked as if he was laughing.  The two boys couldn’t hear anything, though; it was like Chuckles was mimicking laughing.

And that’s when they heard it.  From all corners of the forest, an insane laugh, as Chuckles walked towards them. 

“Shit!!  Go go go!” Mikey yelled as the two sped off into the woods.  While the boys never told a soul that they saw the fabled carnival, laughter filled the woods the whole trek home.