Moving like he was a hundred years old, he pocketed the pen, then walked over to the writing desk and picked up the Babble Book. He felt tired and alone. "I think this might be it. If there's...if I...I'm sorry. About everything." He went to the front door and walked out into the rain, tucking the Book into his shirt to protect it from the water.

Bobby trailed off after Shawn, into the rain. The downpour was heavy and relentless.

"Wait!" Bobby said.

"Hey, Hold on!" he cried out behind Shawn.

"What about me?"

Shawn could see the car about a hundred yards away. It was a small Volkswagen Beetle. It sat there ominously waiting. The rain was too heavy for Shawn to see who was inside.

"You said that you made a deal too - maybe this is for both of us?" The sight of that Beetle made Shawn's stomach lurch - poor Mr. Sellick - but he didn't really have any other options right now. "Come on. I just want this to be over."

Bobby elected not to say anything and just moved quickly to get behind Shawn as they both approached the car. Pulling ahead of Shawn briefly, he came to a sudden stop a few feet away from the door.

Rain splattered against the passenger window and dinged off the curved hood of the Beetle, sliding down to the dull chrome bumper. The driver's face was obscured by fat droplets that hung suspended in the middle of the window.

Shawn saw the driver's face turn to face him.



The Clown that murdered Mr. Sellick opened the door to the passenger side seat.

Shawn stopped just short of the passenger door, trying to keep images of Mr. Sellick's death out of his head. He wasn't successful. In the end, he screwed his eyes shut and felt his way into the car seat. He couldn't find the words to say anything.

Shawn got into the seat and the car door closed. Bobby threw himself into the back of the tightly cramped car. It smelled like old clothes and rotten fruit. There was a heavy musk that wafted off of the Clown in behind the wheel.

With one, red high-heeled shoe, the acceleration pedal was pushed down and the car slowly trumbled forward, bouncing slightly on the rough, farm terrain.




"I know you did what you had to do." The Clown said in a wheening voice, filled with treble. "But it makes me sad all the same." She frowned. Tears of blood began to drip down each cheek.

Shawn could hear Bobby breathing heavily, nervously in the backseat. "Well, I...uh..guess we should be going" he prompted

Shawn kept his eyes closed, but tears of his own were leaking out anyway. He just concentrated on breathing - in and out and in and out - and prayed the ride would be over soon.

For once the book was quiet. In Shawn's lap, he felt the Book 'release' like it was relaxing, settling into the car and against Shawn's legs.







"I have to tell you a story now. It's a sad story. But there's a lesson in it. Do you like bedtime stories? I do."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Fri 18 Nov 2016.

"Uhhh...sure." Bobby said. It sounded like he was willing to say anything. His voice came out choking, and he croaked slightly before coughing.

"Just..whatever we need to do."

"To, get where we need...to go." Bobby said, filling the empty space with words.

Shawn appreciated Bobby's attempt to fill the silence; the sound of the clown's voice made his stomach flip. But right now they were (possibly literally) a captive audience. "...fine."

"One day there was a shoe salesmen that wasn't able to work anymore. He was completely crippled, on account of his bad back." The Clown said, tears streaming down her face in red rivulets.

"He couldn't sell shoes anymore, so he became a doctor. He settled down in a city where no one knew of him. He started to talk differently, and he made his voice all nasely and different sounding."

"Then, he started to talk about how he had antidotes to all of the problems that the people in the city had. He was making all of these potions and cocktails that promised to help people and get them out of trouble. Soon, he was famous for his ability to cure people. Then one day he got sick."

"The King of the city called him and said that he wanted to try some of the potions that the man had made, to see how valuable they were. The King asked the man to bring some large cups filled with these potions so the King could try them."

"But the King was very skeptical. When the shoe salesman arrived, he ordered him to drink poison and wanted the shoe salesman to then use the antidotes to prove that it worked."

"Terrorized of the idea of being poisoned, the shoe salesmen confessed that he knew nothing of medicine and that all of his potions were made of nothing."

"The King then brought all of the citizens together and said to them:

-How could you all be so foolish? Here we have a shoe salesmand that no one trusted to fix their shoes, and you placed all your faith in him, just because he promised something to you? Promised that he would save you from your troubles and worries?

Why would you trust someone so blindly?"

"Because if they were sick, they didn't have a choice." Shawn forced himself to open his eyes, and started trying to figure out how to leave the car; the moral of the clown's story was a little too clear. "...what happened to Jody?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:52, Fri 18 Nov 2016.

Shawn opened his eyes as the car came to a stop. Red and blue lights flickered across his vision: police cars.

They were parked outside, across the street, in front of Shawn's house.  Shawn looked down into his lap and saw the book. It's tongue and face were gone. It looked like a normal book.


The Clown nodded slowly with a sad face.

"It's a sad story, for a sad situation. And I feel your pain and your sadness too. I'm so sad. You hold onto that book. Put it in your room in a safe place. Don't lose it. When he needs you, he'll come. And when he does, he'll take the book." The clown advised. She looked outside at the blue and red flashing lights.

"Only a few hours have passed since the incident with Mr. Sellick, if you head home now, you can still see your Mom and Dad cry"

Shawn just looked at his house for a bit; he hadn't been away for all that long, but the seeing such a familiar mundane sight made his heart feel like it was going to rip in two. Before getting out of the car, he glanced into the back seat. "What about Bobby?"

Bobby's head was already leaning forward in anticipation when Shawn asked the question. The expression of a prisoner trapped and destined for certain doom on his face.

"What about me?" Bobby echoed. Though his voice came through with a raspy, strained tone, like he needed to clear his throat.

"What about you?" Gaggles asked in a sad voice. "I'm so sad to hear you say that. You sound scared. It really makes me want to end your suffering."

"You know the head's where everything is at, the brain, eyes, mouth. That's the person. I remember being told at the Circus, you cut off the head and the body dies. the body is nothing after the head is cut off... well that's not quite true. With a little boy like you Bobby, there's a lot left without a head." Gaggles offered.

"Shawn, can I sleep at  your place tonight?" Bobby interjected in a pleading voice, desperately. He was already unbuckling his seat belt.

"Yes, c'mon." Shawn made sure he had the book, and then started to get out of the car. Bringing Bobby wasn't just so he wouldn't be left alone with the clown. The two of them had been through something together tonight, and perverse as it was, their shared guilt made him feel closer to Bobby.

Bobby got out of the car and made his way with Shawn across the lawn and up to the front of Shawns house. The police lights were on, flashing and lighting up the night sky.

"Thanks." Bobby said, voice filled with relied. "Is this your house? I mean, what are we gonna tell your parents?"

"Yeah, this is where I live. Hmm." If Shawn knew one thing, it was how to lie to people - especially his parents.  He tried to think about it like a movie scene. Two kids finding their way home from a dangerous situation to the relief of their parents. It was all about the framing. "We should stick close to the truth - after the car crash, I ran away, we found each other, and only now made our way back. If they ask something you don't know how to answer, just start crying. Here, take my hand. The younger you act, the less they'll question your story."

Bobby seemed enthusiastic about the approach. Shawn watched as the worry lines on the boy's face seemed to lighten considerablly. Wrinkles of worry which had been etched on Bobby's forehead gave way to relief, and a smile, albeit small, began to form. It was slightly mischevious. He took Shawn's hand, holding it firmly.

"Now we're talking." Bobby agreed. "That's the problem I had with the other kids in the cabin back there." Bobby insisted, gesturing behind him where the Clown car...

But where was the Clown car? It was gone. Bobby took note of that, quickly surveying the road beyond the police cars before turning back to Shawn.

"I kept trying to tell the other kids that being an an undercover G.I. Joe means more than just telling everyone that you're a good guy. Sometimes you can't let other people know what the mission is, because it's secret." Bobby justified. "That's why I didn't tell anyone about the dream that I had, even though everyone else was blabbing their mouths off. Of course, I didn't know that you were part of the secret mission too. To save ourselves and our families. That's also why I won't say nothing about what happened." He promised.

"Acting young is a good idea." Bobby said.

"What happened to the girl named Jody? Did you right her name in the book too." Bobby asked as he took a step up onto Shawn's door. They were in front of the door now, and a wave of relief and safety seemed washed over the porch as he looked at the familiar structure.

Shawn shook his head. "No, that was part of the deal. The voice said he'd take her off the list too..." He took a deep breath, and although it was just for acting, he squeezed Bobby's hand a little tighter before he rang the doorbell.

OOC: Shawn Joins Thread

Shawn: 6 Months Later