Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 01 - Death Is Clowning Around

by Peggy Dulle

Just then Carl came down his rope into the middle of the auditorium. “Can you feel it?”

  I remembered what Justin had told me about mind control. In my head I said, Feel what?

  “Can you sense it?” he continued.

  I answered with – my five senses are turned off and tuned out.

  More and more people got up and danced. Tina jumped up, screamed, and then grinded with the rest. Almost everyone was up by now. I figured I’d better join them so, I got up and danced away. Wouldn’t Jordan like to see this? I thought. She always said I was a fuddy-duddy.

  Carl kept talking. His voice seemed to boom all around the room. “Be the music, be the sound, let yourself go.”

  I countered with, the music is dumb, the sound is stupid and I’m just fine the way I am. It seemed to be working. At least I thought it was. Just then the water hit, thanks to all that dancing. I tapped Tina on the shoulder.

  She jerked her head around. “What?”

  “I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

  She pointed to one corner of the auditorium. “It’s over there.”

  Most people were dancing all over the room. I danced my way around people and over to the corner. There were two clowns standing in front of each exit and the bathrooms.

  I grabbed myself. “I’ve got to go, now!”

  They put their hands up. “You’re not allowed to leave during meditation.”

  “If you don’t let me go, I’m going to pee my pants right here!” I squealed. It was an accurate description of my situation at the moment.

  “Okay.” They stepped aside and I rushed into the restroom and headed for a stall. I did my business and then rested my head in my hands. After my head cleared enough so I could stand I went to the sink. My eyes were dilated. I splashed my face with water. Just feeling the fresh air in the bathroom was clearing my head. Since I couldn’t spend the entire meditation session in the bathroom, I took a drink of the water in the sink. It tasted metallic and I hoped it wasn’t tainted with drugs, too. I took a deep breath and danced out of the bathroom.

  They’d added lights while I was gone. They blinked on and off, changing colors and intensity with the rhythm of the music.

  Carl was still bellowing away. “You are free, free to do anything. Your body is soaring …higher and higher. You are the best. There is no one better than you. There is no one better than the Uptown Clowns. You are the Uptown Clowns.”

  I countered with each statement. The trip to the bathroom had helped ground me a bit. As I danced, I watched the people around me. Some of the clowns had taken off their masks and were joining in on the dancing. I guess they wanted to enjoy the drugs in the fog, too. Some people were dancing with each other, making the scene from “Dirty Dancing” look rated G. Tina was all over one of the clowns who’d taken off his mask. I recognized Tony.

  Where are the kids? I glanced around. There were only adults in the room. I danced my way over to Tony and Tina. They were bumping and grinding against each other.

  “Hey Tony.”

  “Hi Liza. Are you enjoying the meditation session?”

  “Oh yeah. It’s the freest I’ve felt in years.”

  “You got that!”

  “Where are the kids?”

  “Still asleep.” I couldn’t tell if he was smiling because he didn’t have to watch them at the moment or snarling because they’d given him such a bad time last night.

  But it had to be after nine. Some of the kids should be awake already, unless they’d been drugged to stay asleep. The music and lights continued. I went back to my mat and drank my water. It helped but I could still feel the effect of the drugs. A few seconds later the auditorium went dark and the music stopped.

  “You … are … free,” Carl whispered, pausing between each word.

  Everyone in the place chanted the words. I chanted and then said – nothing is free in my head. With the lights and music gone, the words seem more important. I was sure it was the drugs, but I was having difficulty thinking up things to respond after I chanted.

  “Free to do whatever you want,” Carl continued.

  I started saying lines from Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham. It was the only thing I could concentrate on.

  “Free to fly!”

  “Free to fly.” I do not like green eggs and ham.

  “Free to do anything!”

  “Free to do anything.” I do not like them Sam I am.

  I got all the way to the part about not eating them on a train or in the rain before Carl stopped and the lights came back on.

  The light was blinding and I covered my eyes with my hands. So did everyone else.

  Then Carl’s voice came again. “When your eyes adjust, have a seat on your mat and breakfast will be brought to you. Classes start in an hour. After breakfast go to the tables in the back of the auditorium and sign up for the class you would like to take. Have a great day and stay free.”

  I did exactly as Carl said. When I could see, I walked over to my mat and sat down. There wasn’t any thought process at all. As soon as I sat down, I realized what I’d just done. I went over and downed another water, then carried a couple of bottles back to the mat.

  Tina was still bobbing her head back and forth. She looked up and smiled. “Wasn’t that the bomb?”

  “Quite an experience.” I handed her the water. “Drink this.”

  She drank it down. I remembered her comment earlier about hating water. It was as if she were doing whatever I told her to do without thinking about it. Whatever drug they were using, it opened up the mind to commands. I wondered how far the commands could go. Could they make someone do something they normally wouldn’t do? Pornography? Kidnapping? What were we going to be asked to do next?

  Chapter 13

  Just then the doors opened up and the kids came in. They were huddled together in a clump rather than in a line. Quite a few of them looked scared, two were in tears, and one was sobbing. Tony and several of the other clowns gathered around them and herded them to some mats in the back of the room.

  Instincts took over and I went over to them. They recognized me immediately.

  “How are you guys doing?”

  One teary-eyed girl grabbed my hand. “I want to go home.”

  The sobbing boy used his sleeve to dry his eyes. He grabbed my other hand. “Can I call my mom?”

  “I don’t know. Would you like me to ask someone?”

  “Yeah.” Several kids nodded. Quite a few of them wanted to talk to their parents, too. I went over to a couple of clowns standing at the door. “Some of the kids want to talk to their parents. Is there a phone they can use?”

  He pointed to a clown by the door. “You’ll have to ask Tony. He’s in charge of the brats.”

  They weren’t brats, just scared, lonely children, but I let the comment go. I walked up to Tony. He recognized me immediately.

  “Hey, Liza. How did you enjoy the meditation session?”

  “It was great. Listen, some of the kids want to call home. Is there a phone they can use?”

  “No. We’ve promised their parents that we wouldn’t bother them this week unless it was an emergency. Any way you can think of to calm them down?”

  “Feed them, then get them interested in something fun and exciting.”

  “I can do that.” He signaled for the food to be brought for the kids – donuts and chocolate milk. The kids were going to love it. As soon as he set the food down, the kids went crazy grabbing up the sweets.

  I started to go back to my own mat when Tony caught up with me. “Some of the younger kids are asking for you. Would you mind eating with them and then getting them over to the huge trampoline afterwards?”

  “Sweets and jumping? Not a good combination.”

  “Okay then, how about you take them to the miniature golf course on the far left of the compound?” He gave me a beseeching look.

  “Safer choice.” I walked back to where the kids were eating. A few grabbed my hands and I sat down with t
hem. Drugs and trampoline jumping or any other activity would work very well together, so chances were their food wasn’t tainted with drugs. I helped myself to some fruit and juice. Most of the kids stayed away from those particular items.

  As soon as they finished eating, they started to get restless, so I lined them up and took them over to the golf course. There were seven or eight costumed clowns waiting for them. Tony was busy organizing the teams. I tipped my head to him, he smiled, and then I returned to the adults. I wanted to sign up for the magic session before it was full. I’d always wanted to learn magic and this seemed like a great opportunity to do that.

  The lines weren’t too long, so I signed up for magic and balloon animals. Those were two skills that might come in handy in my classroom. And I’d be a big hit with my future nieces and nephews if I could entertain at their birthday parties.

  The magic session didn’t start for thirty minutes, so I figured I might as well get in line for the phone to call Tom. I might not have another opportunity the rest of the day. I was pleasantly surprised when no one was in line.

  “Tom Owens.”

  “Good morning, Tom.”

  “Well, I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

  “I call when I can.”

  “Are you having fun?”

  “It’s an interesting experience.”

  “An enhanced experience?”

  I drew in a breath before I answered. “Yes.”

  A long pause. I knew he wanted to say something but didn’t. Still, his words were curt, his voice angry. “I got a call from my computer friend.”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Remember I asked him to look into those computer games that your friend’s son is playing.”

  “Sure, what did he say?”

  “The kid game he’s playing isn’t in real time. It’s all computer generated. The images are genuine but the activities aren’t.”

  “That’s good. What about that adult game?”

  “Oh, they’re definitely real.”

  “Thanks for having your friend check. I’ll pass on the information.”

  “Are you being careful not to over-do?” He sounded cool.

  “Of course. Well, I’ve got to go. My magic session is starting soon.”

  “I like magic. Will you show me your tricks when you get home?” he teased. At least he wasn’t annoyed any more.

  “My tricks, yes, but not the secrets behind them.” I kidded him back, keeping his mind off our previous conversation.

  “Your tricks will be just fine. Bye, Liza.”

  “Good bye, Tom.”

  I hung up the phone and walked toward the building where the magic session was. The information that Tom had given me made me feel only slightly better. I was glad the children weren’t actually participating in the pornography that was displayed on the Uptown Clown’s website. But how were they getting naked pictures of the children? They had to be taking the kids’ pictures when they were using the restroom or showering. That was the only explanation.

  The adults, on the other hand, were actually participating in the acts. That didn’t surprise me with all the drugs and chanting about being “free.”

  As I entered the building I was handed a black silk top hat. It was cool. I looked inside but didn’t see anything. I reached in and felt around; nothing inside. This was going to be fun. I loved that saying, “watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.” I went in and sat down at a table. A few of the teenagers were there, too. I didn’t see Tina. I guessed she’d signed up for a different session.

  Several clowns wearing top hats went to the front of the room. It was a great class. I learned how to distract the audience while I put something into the hat and then miraculously pulled it out. They showed us several slight of hand tricks, but I wasn’t very good at it. I kept dropping the cards or devices to make the trick work.

  About thirty minutes later, Tony walked in and came over to me. He looked desperate. “I’ve got a serious problem. I’ve got three criers, two screamers and one who keeps running away. Please help me!”

  I’d seen that face before. The one that says, I’ve lost control. I could never resist that look. “Okay, Tony.”

  I left the magic session and followed him to the golf course. Two clowns were holding one little boy up in the air. He was kicking his feet and screaming. I bet he’s the runner.

  I walked directly to them and said, “Put that child down! I need his help immediately.”

  “What?” they said in unison.

  “Do as she says!” Tony shouted.

  They set him down immediately. I bent over to the little boy. “I’ve got kids crying and screaming everywhere. Do you know how to play Simon says?”

  “Of course.”

  “Great! What’s your name?”

  “Matt.”

  “I need your help, Matt.” I grabbed his hand and we both ran over to the group of kids.

  I shouted. “Simon says, hands on your head.

  The children immediately jerked their heads around.

  Matt’s hands were on his head. Again I said loudly, “At least you know how to play.”

  One of the older kids said, “We know how to play that stupid game.”

  “Then let’s see.”

  “Simon says jump up and down three times.”

  The older kids jumped.

  “Simon says clap four times.”

  A few more kids joined in.

  “Bend over and touch your toes.”

  Some of the kids bent over and others shouted, “Simon didn’t say to do it!”

  Seven commands later, everyone was playing, and laughing when they forgot when I hadn’t said, “Simon says”.

  I nodded to Tony, who came over. “Where do they go next?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Their stomachs have settled. How many trampolines do you have?”

  “Eight.”

  “Perfect.” I turned to the kids. “Simon says, let’s go and jump on the trampolines.”

  All the kids screamed, “Yeah!”

  I leaned down to Matt. “You’re the best, Matt. I’m putting you in charge.” I waved to Tony to come over. “Tony, this is Matt. He’s a leader. Keep him in charge of this group.”

  Matt beamed, Tony smiled, and the two of them left hand in hand. The chaperones walked the kids to the trampolines. I caught the last few minutes of my magic class. They’d been practicing sawing someone in half. I didn’t think I’d like that trick, anyway.

  Lunch was served in the same auditorium. This time we had tables, like last night’s dinner, instead of the mats from this morning’s meditation. But it was the same fanfare, rhythmic music, blinking lights, and fog. I drank a lot of water and stayed away from the food. Before the event was over I snuck out of the place and went back to my room. I took an apple and granola bar from under my bed and had a diet coke. My head wasn’t swimming as bad as it had last night. Maybe they save the more powerful drugs for the evening festivities.

  I only had a few minutes before my balloon animal session. As I was coming out of the door, two clowns grabbed me, one on each arm.

  “Hey! What’s going on?”

  “You’re coming with us, lady!”

  They carried me across the grass. I squirmed as hard as I could, but they had a tight hold. One was a foot taller than I, and the other was a foot shorter. It had to be a very strange sight.

  Great, I thought. They’ve figured out why I’m there and they’re going to either throw me out or kill me. Death by clown? If I wasn’t so scared, this might be funny.

  Chapter 14

  The clowns carried me through the empty auditorium and into a back office. They threw me into a chair.

  “Stay put!” the taller clown shouted.

  When they left, I got up and tried the door. It was locked. There had to be another way out. The window was too small. Even if I’d lost that ten pounds or so, I still would never have made it through.

&nb
sp; I got a paperclip out of the desk and bent it straight. How easy was it to pick a lock? If I was going to do this kind of investigation I needed more skills. I stuck the wire into the lock and turned it right and then left. Nothing happened. It always looked so easy in the movies.

  I heard footsteps coming down the hall. Quickly I removed the wire, bent it in half, and put it in my pocket. I went over to the chair and sat back down. A few seconds later, I heard the door unlock and Carl stepped in.

  He raised his eyebrows and looked at me. “Did you lock the door?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and pulled my jaw tight. “No, the goons you sent after me – who by the way carried me in here – did.”

  “Idiots.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Liza. I just wanted to find you and ask you to come and see me.”

  I squared my shoulders and tilted my head downward. “That’s not the message they heard.”

  He gave me a stern look. “I’m surrounded by incompetent morons.” Then his tone softened. “I’ll talk to them, Liza.”

  I thought about the philosophy of the Uptown Clowns, their websites and the child and adult pornography. Carl is the King of the Morons. On the table behind his desk he had a picture of Jessie. It was the same one used in the missing child posters. I needed to work that into our conversation.

  I drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. “What can I do for you, Carl?”

  “First off, I know you’re a teacher and you’re on vacation.”

  “Yes.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “We really need some help with the kids.”

  “I spend all year with kids. I try and avoid them when I’m on vacation,” I said, with genuine sarcasm.

  He eyed me steadily, as if trying to figure out what incentive he could use to persuade me. “How about I refund the entire cost of the camp? You’d still be able to participate in all the sessions and of course the meditation and dinners.”

  I sat silent for a moment, arguing with myself. Was getting involved deeper with the Uptown Clowns really such a good idea? Would it help me find Jessie or not?

  “What would I have to do?”

  He flashed me a smile, his tone triumphant. “Just help Tony out. The kids don’t get up until nine. They have breakfast and then they go to two different fun activities with lunch in between. They eat dinner and enjoy the evening festivities. Then they go to bed around nine. You’d only have to help bring them to breakfast and get them to their first activity. We did okay getting them to lunch and on to their second activity. Dinner went okay. But we’d need you to walk them back to their dorms and get them settled into bed.”