When I opened my eyes I was greeted by darkness. I tried to move, but I was confined in the fetal position inside of space just big enough to fit my body. I patted my hands against the walls of my prison, whatever kind of confinement I was trapped inside was made of cheap plastic. I tried to kick the wall, but due to my lack of physical strength and little room to move my legs, it didn’t even leave a dent. I shouted out pleading for help, my voice echoed inside of the box as if mocking me. If anyone was on the other side of the thin plastic walls they could have definitely heard me, either they were ignoring me or no one was there.

I decided to be optimistic about whether I was being ignored or just no one was around and a kind soul would come by and free me, so I shouted and banged against my prison hoping that someone would hear me. It had to be a good ten minutes or more before I gave up and took a break. I huddled up into a ball, it was hopeless I was trapped inside of a box with those psycho clowns.

“Wait for a second a box?” I thought to myself. No, it can’t be? A small barely person-sized cube, shit don’t tell me I stuck in that mystery box that Lucy used. No, no, no. I can’t be stuck in there. I can’t be turned into some weird vaguely human or animate clown thing!

I began to panic. again using whatever energy I had left inside of me to try and escape. I slammed the walls and kicked with all the force my barely moveable body let me. I was beginning to lose hope as I made no progress with my escape attempts, but I had to keep trying. Suddenly the box began to move forward carrying me with it. I was flung forward my head slamming against the previous top of the box, with a painful thud my head flew through the top opening a trapdoor that I swear wasn’t there before. My upper body was flung out of the box as it landed on a pink fuzzy carpet floor. My face rested against the carpet it was nice and fluff like a fuzzy pillow, I felt like I could drift off to sleep laying on it. No! I had to escape where ever I was. I pulled my head from the tempting pillow-like floor and looked around.

The room I was in looked like a dressing room but had a questionable at the best design. The wallpaper on each wall was colorful and tacky being mix-matched and not completing each other making it an assault on the senses. The furniture was plasticky, colorful, and in different sizes and shapes looking like it came from giant doll houses of varying sizes. And there were pictures on the walls of various clowns, men and women, and normal looking and weird looking. I decided that I have been here admiring the sights long enough and tried to pull my lower body out of the box, which upon seeing it from the outside was without a doubt Lucy’s box.

I tried to wiggle my thighs out of the box but they were stuck in a small hole, this was surprising as I have always had a flat butt. I looked back, and my behind thankfully wasn’t the problem it was still as small and unflattering as always. The hole either shrunk or knocking the box over gave me so much force that my head and upper body somehow flew out of the tiny hole. I gave up upon trying to pull my body out and looked around the box to see if there was some kinda magic key slot or something, this box was magic so there had to be someone to open it. I felt around the top of the box and held a slot in the top next to by stuck behind, it felt like a keyhole, so next, I needed to find a key. I looked around for a minute then, Bingo! I saw a large plastic key resting upon the table. But the only problem was that I was across the room. I took a long sigh and dragged myself and the box across the room, it was thankfully lighter than I expected but still wasn’t easy. When I thought that the floor was a pillow like I didn’t expect that it would be a giant pillow as my body and the box began to sink into the fluffy floor. But I didn’t let that stop me, it took me a good couple of minutes but I slowly inched my way across the floor and to the other side of the room to the table with the key. I reached up for it but it was out of my reach, I banged on the table leg and the key slowly bounced towards the edge. Then it fell hitting me in the head and bounced under the table. I reached for it and was just barely able to grab it with the tips of my fingers.

With an excited gasp, I quickly unlocked the hole and it grew in size, I thought it was going to grow larger but it only grew large enough for me to just barely squeeze out. Now free, I stood up and stretched my legs aching from being in that possession for at least thirty or so minutes. I spotted a door against the other side of the wall, I rushed over trying not to fall due to the unstable flooring. I grabbed the knob and turned it will all of my remaining strength.

CLINK!!!

The doorknob popped off, because of course it did. I tried putting it back in the hole it refused to fit. After a minute or two of trying I gave up and tossed it to the ground where it bounced back hitting me in the forehead. It didn’t hurt somehow but it did badly hurt my pride. I rubbed my head and felt a large lump. I looked in front of me and saw a mirror in the shape of a heart with lights around it. I ran over to it to see how bad the bump was. I covered my mouth as I gasped upon seeing it. I was massive like when a cartoon charter gets hit over the head, but this was real. I pressed down on it, I honestly don’t know why I did. But the giant lump painfully sank down and just like a cartoon, it start to rise somewhere else. I shook my head in disbelief and looked back at my reflection and the lumps were gone as if they were never there.

In the mirror I stared at the broken door, I looked around for some way out but just my luck I was trapped. No conveniently sized vent or poster with a hole behind it, just a door with a broken knob was my only escape. I pulled out the pink plastic chair and sat down on it as I figured my only way out was to wait for someone to find me, or to take a break to rest before throwing myself at the door. Upon my butt touching the seat a fart came out, I jumped up startled by the sudden noise, and looked down and saw a whoopee cushion. I tosed that think across the room and braised myself for it to come somehow flying back at me, but nope it just flopped to the ground making me look like a fool. I calmly sat down in the chair, I pulled out my phone to see if I could call someone maybe even the cops like they would believe me when I tell them some weird fetish clowns kidnaped me. And it’s dead just great, I doubt that I could have gotten help as I don’t even know where I am. But now I have nothing to entertain myself.

I sat in the chair for a while it felt like another thirty minutes or so. I was bored enough to get up and look around to see if there could be anything to help me escape. I started at a large closet in the other corner of the room. I pulled it open and a pile of clothing fell like an avalanche out of the doors burying me under it. I gasped for air as I dug my way to the surface, but something pink blocked my view. I pulled off whatever was on my hand, it was a pair of giant pink frilly panties, that were big enough to fit on top of my head without even stretching them. I held them up admiring them trying to decide where to be impressed with the butt that these belong to or embarrassed that I had another woman’s underwear around my head. I tossed it away, out of sight out of mind. I pulled myself out of the pile and spotted something that was hung up on the door of the closet. It was a pink ringmaster outfit, it was Lucy’s. I reached out and took it off the closet door. It felt rubbery but also like cloth, it felt nice against my body. I kinda wanted to wear it for some reason but it would have fit like a child wearing their parent's clothing, I did not have the body for it whatsoever. I hung the outfit back up trying to get the thought of putting it on out of my head. Then I noticed something hanging out from a drawer, a pink frilly bra. I instantly snatched it without a second thought. God was it huge! Each cup was at least the size of my head. I looked at the bra, panties, and outfit and thought to myself, “What does she look like without them?”

“Nope, nope, nope!” I thought out loud as I tossed the bra back into the closet. I quickly picked up the pile of clothing and shoved it inside of the closet and slammed it shut. No more weird thoughts I’m going to sit down and do nothing from now on. I shut my eyes and began to walk back towards the chair trying to forget what I say. Suddenly my face meets a fluffy surface. I open my eyes and they are assaulted by pink, I picked myself up and fell back down. Something was caught on my feet, I looked behind me and it was her panties. I slid them off. I eyed down the closet and then looked at the panties in my hand. I rolled them up and shoved them into my pants pocket somehow fitting them in with ease despite their size. “She wouldn’t notice if one pair goes missing right?” I thought to myself as my face became red. I walked back to the chair and plopped down on it trying not to think about the massive underwear in my pocket.

I saw something out of the corner of my eye, a book more specifically a diary. It was pink with tons of circus-themed sticks on the cover, with the words “Lucy’s Joke Book” on the top and “PRIVET DO NOT READ!!!” on the button, and “Unless you want to, then go ahead.” written in smaller letters. Well, she said go ahead so why not. I opened the page and read the date “March / 5 / 22”. That was today’s date. I looked down at the page, it was a mess of crayons looking like a preschooler wrote in it. I tried to make out the barely legible handwriting as best as I could.

“Today I have a super-duper idea for tonight’s show! It gets a little boring just being on stage alone. “Lucy, why don’t you get a partner?” You may ask. You see I thought of that too! But who and what should my partner be is the problem. It can’t just be any old fool they have to be special! And you see rhetorical person that's the problem. But rhetorical persona I used all of my brain power to find the right partner! ”Who is this special super-duper person?” You may ask. But that wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you mister or miss rhetorical person. But I got another problem I used all my brain juice to find the perfect partner that I ran out of time to think about and act for tonight so. “But you said you had a super-duper idea for tonight’s show?” I do! Partner trail run! If it doesn’t go well as they say try, try again! I’ll figure out the rest during the show!”

This must be where she plans out her performances, but all of her acts must have required extensive practice and planning with how strange and mindboggling they were. She must have come up with the other ideas later and written them down on a new page. I turned to the next page. On the top was a name, “Aden Farrell” and next to it was a crudely drawn stick figure that I guess was meant to represent Aden. Under the picture was an outline of his life going into personal details that only his family would know about. At the bottom of the page, she wrote that he took the lame way out and left before the special show. I flipped the page again. Anahi Valencia, her page was like Aden’s but at the bottom, there was what I assumed was a picture of what meant to be a red balloon, and my heart sank when I read what was next to it, “Ahahi got lucky enough to become a balloon and become part of the show, her boring dull life is now gone with the wind and will happily spend the rest of her days as a bouncy balloon.”

I kept flipping the pages stopping upon Britney Baker. I quickly read the page, she was a self-conscious woman who couldn’t lose weight, and because of that, she fell into depression. At the bottom is a picture of two stick figures with bunny ears. “Britney became was thin and flexible like she always dreamed of. There was a little accident splitting into two bunny girls named Bonbon and Bunbun, but she couldn’t be happier to no longer have to worry about her problems.”

I flipped through more pages, Jacklin Shaw. She was a nervous girl who had good looks but fell into the wrong crowd because of that. She was the group punching back doing what every they wanted and always took the fall if they got in trouble. She wanted to leave but she don’t want to become an outcast and be bullied by the girls. Once again at the bottom of the page was a picture, a stick figure with a coil for legs, and like before there was something written next to it. “Jacklin wanted to be a clown on her own and I turned her into a super sexy one, but she wanted to be sillier so I transformed her further. Now she Jacky in the Box a silly bouncing clown doll that doesn’t care what people think of her as long as she is having fun.”

Next was Kathy Phillip. She was a law student who pushed everything besides studying away to impress her successful parents, because of that she became cold and distant. Despite how much she told herself that she liked being alone she wanted friends. And there was a picture of a smiling ball with sticks poking out, “Now she is Canny the Cannonball a fun-loving ball that wants nothing more than to be shot out of a cannon and to splat against the target.”

I flipped through the pages and couldn’t find Holly’s but landed on Robert’s. Robert Scott, his collages star football player. While he had a good school life his home life was pretty miserable as he could never meet his parent's expectations and always felt like he was only doing sports because that was what everyone wanted him to do. He felt desires that he couldn’t explain so he hide them away. Once again there was a weird picture at the bottom of the page, it was of a ball with a smiley face drawn in the center of it. “Robert now Bouncing Ball Bobby can now bounce without the worries of not meeting people's expectations and can live out his secret desires judgment-free.”

I keep flipping through the pages but they were all the same, there name them some personal backstory, then either they stayed human and mostly come back or turned into a balloon. I reached the second to last page when I released something, but I haven’t found my page. Curiously got the better of me and I flipped back to find my name but it wasn’t there, no matter how hard I looked I didn’t have a page. I kept flipping forwards and backward then back to where my name should be as if that would cause it to appear, but nothing happened.

“She must have forgotten about me?” I thought out loud, “Hell back in school the teachers sometimes forgot that I was even in the same room.”

She must have forgotten, and that could have been the reason why I was spared as I wasn’t on her list. I wiped the sweat that was forming on my brow and quickly flip to the last page, trying not to question it further and just hope that I was lucky once in my life. Once I got to the last page, there was a page in front of it that read, “Star Clown of the Show” I flipped it over and my jaw dropped when I read the name, Holly Reid. I quickly read her description. She was a geeky girl who was always obsessed with the paranormal but too scared to leave her room and venture out into the world. Someone on a form told her about Lucy’s and she became obsessed with it and tried to learn all about it, then she stumbled upon it. Her picture at the bottom is a crude drawing of her puppet transformation with a stick arm sticking out of the bottom. I didn’t want to read the last part but I forced myself to, “Holly now lives in the spotlight as a wise-cracking puppet partner named Mittens. NOTE: Mittens is an almost perfect partner, but I went a bit overboard. I need both hands to perform, so back to plan A.”

“Plan A?” I once again thought out loud. I noticed that Holly’s page wasn’t the last and there was one more with the words “Lucy’s Special Guest” written across it. I put my fingers on the corner of the page ready to flip it, then suddenly I heard the door creak. I looked over in a panic slamming the diary closed and onto the desk. I jumped out of the chair and turned around to see a round figure in the doorway.

Stepping into the light I saw the impossibly round clown who was adorned with heart iconography all over her body. It was the clown that stood out from the show, and now she was in the same room as me looking at me with a dumb look on her face. I thought about running past her now that the door was wide open, but her massive body would block my path with ease and the pillow-like floor would have made running difficult. But what other choice did I have? Stay here and let them do whatever they did to the others to me?

I made a break for it charging forward as fast as I could as my feet sunk into the ground. Just as I was about to step to the side and dash past the round clown my foot slipped causing me to tumble forward straight into the clown. I closed my eyes and braced myself. Upon making contact with the clown I felt the softness of her clothing as my body began to sink into hers, it felt like a pillow crossed with an overinflated balloon, it was soothing and somehow was easing my nerves. Just as I began to welcome that feeling it was stolen away as I was flung out of her chest and landing on the ground.

I was too dazed to stand up and didn’t even react to the clown walking over to me and blocking my view with her impossibly round body. She picked me up with her stubby arms and brought me to my feet, and gave me a gentle pat on the head.

“Whatcha doing back her missy?” the clown asked me in a high-pitched voice. I hesitated to answer fearing what tricks she had in store for me and decided to just slowly back away and try another escape attempt. She just looked at me and smiled, “Don’t worry missy you’re not in trouble or anything, heck people get lost backstage all the time, consider yourself lucky that I found you!” she held out her hand with a goofy grin on her face, “Names Heart, what's your’s?”

“I’m Marry,” I said softly. I took her hand, her sausage-like fingers griped around my hand and she shook me up and down lifting me off of my feet and flinging me into the air and back to the ground as if I was nothing but a rag doll. She eventually let go releasing me from the tormenting handshake. I stumbled back and fell into the chain, before I could get up she was standing over me once again looking me down.

“So whatcha doing back here Marry?” she said sizing me up. “You sad that you missed being a part of the boss’s big show and couldn’t wait for a second chance so you came looking for her?” Before I could speak up to explain the weird doors and how I was just trying to get home she continued. “I hate to break it to you but the boss isn’t here, she left an hour or so ago and won’t be back here until next week’s show.” She paced around scratching her head, just as I was about to speak again she spoke up. “I’ll tell you what, I can transform you myself! I might not be as good as the boss but I know a few good tricks.”

“I DON’T WANT TO BE A CLOWN!!!” I shouted. She turned and looked at me, her bright smile faded into a frown. Shit, what did I do? These psychos are the last people whose bad side I wanted to be on.

She put her arms on what would be her hips and tapped her foot, “Whatcha mean you don’t want to be a clown? You will make a perfect clown.”

I stood up from the chair and stood my ground, “I don’t want to be turned into whatever messed up clown things that you and your boss turn people into. I just want to be normal me…”

She had a disappointed look on her face and sighed as she shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to force you to become a clown, but you’re really missing out. Plus humans are so boring and don’t forget how mean and cruel they can be as well.”

“Yeah, I know better than anyone else who people can be…” I said my voice trembling accidentally. She was right, humans suck. “Please just show me how to get home….”

“Fine, but trust me when I say that you won’t regret becoming a clown, I don’t. But if you insist I will show you the way home” she turned around and picked up Lucy’s diary and motioned for me to follow her out the door.

“Wait how can I trust that you won’t turn me into a clown?” I said standing my ground, “Your boss Lucy didn’t give people the choice, she just turned them into clowns whether they wanted to or not. How do I know that you won’t trick me?”

She turned around and tapped her finger against her chin for a few seconds then stuck her pinky out and smiled, “We will make it a pinky promise! I won’t let anyone turn you into a clown unless you are one hundred percent willing to become one!” I looked back and forth between her and her finger, “On my honor as a clown I won’t break our pinky promise.”

I hesitantly gripped her pinky with mine, then a bast of color exploded around us for a second as her fingers started to glow. I tried pulling away, had she already tricked me? Just as our pinkys were consumed by a bright rainbow light, the light disappeared. I stumbled back and looked at my finger, it was completely normal.

“What did you do?” I blurted out.

“I made an unbreakable promise between the two of us,” She smiled putting her hands on her hips triumphantly. “Nothing I do can turn you into a clown unless you have your mind set on it.”

“What about all of those colors and lights?” I asked frantically waving my hands in the air as if I was mimicking the weird colors and lights.

“Oh, that's just some clown magic,” she turned back towards the door, “But be careful not all clowns are going to be as generous as me, our promise only works on the two of us. So stick with me and I will make sure you get home and not lost in Clown Town.”

“Clown Town?” I asked as I began to follow her., “And Clown Magic?”

“It’s a world of wacky wonders where the rules of reality are nothing more than a suggestion.” she explained while trying to make her high-pitched voice sound as professional as possible, “Have you ever seen Roger Rabit?” I nodded, “Rember Toon Town, think of that but clownly, if a piano falls on us we can just walk it off but on a human-like you, it gets messy, you  get the idea?”

“I get the picture…” I said under my breath. I decided that it was best to trust the weird clown named Heart, instead of wandering around and hoping for the best. If this place is anything like I have seen so far, I figure that it would be best to stick with someone who knows the place even if they are suspicious., “But are you really magical those weren’t just elaborate ticks during the show, those people really did change?”

“Yep, all clowns are magic!” she said with a mischievous smile, “We clowns don’t like to follow the rules of reality like you borning humans, so we can pretty much do whatever we want as long as it’s funny.”

“Having magic with the only requirement being comedic, doesn’t sound too bad,” I thought out loud, “Wait if your magic then can’t you magic me home like how I got here?”

“Sorry no can do,” she shrugged, “Traveling between the human and clown world is no easy feat, I could try but there is no telling where you will end up. So that’s why I’m taking you to the train station. At the station, there is a train that can take up to the human world.”

I nodded and followed after her. Heart lead me backstage, it wasn’t like anything I had expected as it was like the maintenance area of a stadium rather than a tent. The corridors were like a maze twisting and turning in directions and paths that shouldn’t be possible and the multi-colored walls with too many designs, circus iconography, and advertisements for the circus became a sensory overload making it impossible to distinguish one hallway from another. But somehow Heart lead the way with a confident look on her face as she navigated the winding halls with ease. I’m glad that she was here, I could never imagen finding the exit without her help. We eventually found a literal light at the end of the tunnel, as there was an opening with tent flaps leading outside. We stepped back outside of the massive tent and onto the empty lot. Unlike when I first arrived it was devoid of life no massive line snaking around the place or blearing carnival music just the squeaking of Heart's shoes as she stepped across the pavement.

“Oi, Heart!” a gruff voice called to the round clown. “Whatcha doing out here so late, I through the circus already left?” We turned around and I recognized the ticket clown from before. He spotted me from behind Heart. “Oh, I see you brought a little friend for ya gals party.”

“Hey, Barker!” she said waving to him, “Oh Lucy forgot something so she asked little old me to fetch it.” she held me in front of her showing me off to the clown, “And she got lost so I’m taking her back home.”

“Back home?” he laughed, “Ya sure you don’t want to stay here as a clown, I know a lonely ticket barker who you use a pretty clown gal?”

Heart put her hands on her hips and frowned, “Barker… what did I tell you about hitting on people who aren’t interested?”

“Relax toots,” He laughed, “Just messing around, but the offer is still open ma’am.”

Heart shook her head and frowned at me, “She made it clear despite my persuasions. We pinky promised not to turn her into a clown.”

“Well, I kinda feel sorry for you miss,” he sighed, “But hey keep your mind open kid.” He waved goodbye and walked away, “Well gals I gotta get going, see you around Heart. And I hope I see you around too ma'am.” He walked over to his ticket stand and folded the wooden building down the middle like it was paper and continued folding it until it was nothing but a tiny folded rectangle that he dropped in his pocket. Giving one final wave he walked off.

Heart grabbed my shoulder, “Well we best get going too,” she lead me to the street and held her finger into the air. Within a second of her putting her finger in the air, a tiny yellow cab that was half the size of a normal car came speeding down the road and came to a screeching halt in front of us.

The driver-side door of the cab opened and a hobo clown wearing a beat-up blown suit that looked a size or two too big on him, with a yellow and black checkered tie around his neck. He was small but wasn’t like he was short, more like he was shrunk to perfectly fit his cab. He walked over to the passenger door and opened it up for us and tipped his bowler hat exposing a bald spot in the middle of his head, “Ladies,”

Heart motioned me into the cab, it looked like I could barely fit on the seat. I gave in and crawled inside, I was half expecting the interior to be bigger than the outside, but nope it was just as small as the outside and just as dirty as any cab I’ve been in before. I crawled across the dingy cab seat to the other side and had to hold my legs close to my chest and tilt my head at an awkward angle just to sit up straight. I was distracted from my discomfort when the sound of creaking rubber caught my attention. Heart was trying to squeeze through the small door, her massive round body was unsurprising too large to fit causing her to get stuck. I giggled a bit watching her try and push her body through the tiny opening. She asked the cab driver clown for a push and gave me an embarrassed smile. After a bit more struggling she popped through the door and was launched straight into me cramming me against my side door. She bounced back into the seat, apologized to me, and began to tell me about how this happens all the time or something like that. I wasn’t really paying attention to her story, as I was staring at her body as something looked like it was off about her. She looked like she shrunk as if her body changed inside to match the small interior of the cab.

The cab driver walked around to the car and jumped into the driver's seat, unlike Heart his body didn’t shrink, but I was already small enough to fit perfectly in the driver's seat. He looked back at us and said in a gruff Brooklyn accent, “Where to ladies?”

“To the main station, and we are in a hurry!” Heart blurted out, “My friend here has a train to catch!”

The cab driver tipped his hat and smiled, “I’ll try toots, I bet half those jokers on the road learned to drive at a circus.” He stepped on the gas and the car flung forward.

I could barely get my bearings when I was suddenly forced against the back of the seat. I looked at Heart whose body seemed to flatten from the force looking like a giant sticker on the back of the seat. I looked out the window and could barely make out the countryside landscape as it flew by. It bent and bounced in rhythm and inanimate objects like rocks, flowers, trees, and even hills and mountains were looked at just with cartoonish smiling faces and I swear some waved at us as we drove past. It all looked like something out of a 1920s rubber hose animation but if someone spilled a rainbow on top of it. And in the distance, there were a series of tall shapes in the distance that was becoming close with each second. We passed through a tunnel that was the mouth of a mountain waving us goodbye. The tunnel was long and windy and pitch black. Soon there was a light at the end of the tunnel, it was so bright that I had to cover my eyes from its intensity.

I heard the sounds of circus music coming from outside of the cab, I opened my eyes and peered outside of the window. The city outside was nothing like I had grown used to living in one my entire life. It wasn’t a dingy with trash littering every inch and there wasn’t someone who looked shady lurking in every alleyway ready to mug you. It was bright and colorful the city was bursting with energy, movement, and life, even the building which a majority looked as if they were alive. Every clown greeted each other with a friendly smile. Everyone and everything was happy even those who got crushed by a piano or slipped on a banana peel into an open sewer, picked them selfs back up, and shared a laugh with the on-lookers. I couldn’t help myself and smile at the place. Then suddenly I few forward slamming head first into the beaten-up leather seat of the cab breaking me from my trance.

“Where HERE!!!” the driver shouted.

I crawled out the door in a daze from my head-on collision with the seat. I looked back at Heart who was still flattened against the seat. She looked at me and smiled wigging her 2D limbs. “Need a hand?” I sighed.

“If you don’t mind,” she smiled. I walked around to the other side of the car and peeled her off like a sticker. Her paper-thin body flapped around in the wind as I held her in my hands. “Do you mind-blowing me up?”  she smiled innocently.

“You want to me blow you up like a balloon?” I asked puzzled and a bit embarrassed by her question.

She puckered her lips and smiled back, “Just think of little old me as just a normal balloon and blow.” Her flatten formed shrugged, “I can’t show you the way home if a gust of wind could pick me up and fly me away.”

“What about the cab driver can’t he blow you up,” I said in a panic looking around for a way out of this situation. “I’m just not comfortable “blowing up” another person…”

“Well see ya ladies I hope you get home safely toots!” the cab driver shout back as if he was on cue and sped off leaving a cloud of dust behind.

I looked around, trying to find an escape from a situation I already knew was escapable. I looked at her inviting lips and back at the crowd getting a passing glace from them. My mind was in pieces do I kiss her and blow her up or do I just try and get her to show me the way as she is, the second option felt unfair as Heart has only been helpful so far and I would be rude to keep her flat when she needs help. But blowing her up and on the lips made my heart skip a beat.

“Hello, miss do you two need any help?” A high-pitched voice said behind me. I looked where the voice was coming from and saw a clown in suspenders behind me dress in oversized suspenders and wearing a propeller hat and holding a string in his hand, “Up here silly,” the voice said again but it didn’t come from the clown’s mouth. I followed the string up and saw where the voice was coming from. It was a humanoid balloon clown girl. Unlike the Heart, she was more like Bobby where she looked like a heavily sexualized balloon with clothing printed on her with her legs being nothing more than a slim dress ending in a knot, and her face was printed on as well but magically animated. “Do you need a pump, if you down you can borrow mine?” she motioned to the male clown with her inflated mitten-like hands. The male clown lifted his hat revealing a bike pump that somehow fit under it, and then put it in front of me.

“Yes thank you!” I said snatching the pump and sticking the hose in Heart’s mouth before she could complain. I quickly pumped her up inflating her like she was just a simple balloon. I avoided looking at her face as it was contorted into a smile of pure ecstasy. This was so embarrassing but was less than if I inflated her with my mouth. Soon she was just as big as she was before, or maybe bigger? I pulled the hose from her mouth as Heart fell backward dazed and a bit excited. I gave the pump back to the male clown and thanked them for their help.

“Your welcome sweety,” the balloon said,” Hey why don’t I have my hubby inflate you as well?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m fine staying the way I am,” I said backing up from her as she and her husband approached me with the pump in hand.

“Come on cutie,” she giggled, “Being blown up is the best, you gotta try it.” Before I could protest the hose was stuck inside my mouth. I tried to pull it out but it was stuck. “Don’t fight it, sweety, once this is over you will be thanking me.” She cupped her inflated breasts, and proudly displayed them to me, “You could use a little boost any way dear, doncha think hubby?” She looked down at me as if inspecting me for my worth. “Whatcha think hubby maid or club girl?” Her husband looks at me, I began to tear up. Neither I want neither, I don’t want to be a balloon! She brought her hand down to caress my head thinking that it would claim my nerves, but I slapped her hand away. She pulled her hand back and scrunched up her face in disgust. “You know hubby, I kinda want a dog now that I think about it.”

I shook my head and tried to pull the hose from my mouth. The balloon woman just smiled at me as she signaled her husband to begin. He pumped down creating a bulge of air to travel from the hose and into my mouth as I helplessly sat there watching it travel into my mouth. I felt a large bulge in my throat and then it felt like some heavy fell into my stomach. He pumped again and once again I helplessly watched the air travel through the hose and into my mouth, but this time I noticed the sound of something stretching. He pumped again and the air traveled once more and this time I felt the stretching as my belly began to bulge a bit. He pumped again and like before I could do nothing my watch, and then again. I clutched my belly which began to push out from my shirt and pants. Then with another pump, it grew once more and my pants button popped. I was on the verge of tears, I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to be a balloon, just normal me. Just as he was about to pump more air into me the balloon clown was stashed away and a round figure loomed over me.

“Hey don’t you dare touch my friend!” the familiar high-pitched voice of Heart shouted angrily.

“Oh, you seem to be misunderstood that woman is my soon-to-be new puppy, so why don’t you give me back to my hubby and waddle along roundy!” the woman angrily shouted back. “Do you know who I am darling, I can make popping you look cute?”

“Yeah your just a big meany with an overinflated ego!” Heart said as she grabbed her by her knot. “Hey, what's like your ego but cute?”

“No what do you think you are doing!?” the woman cried trying to fight back but her inflated arms did nothing.

 Heart untied the knot on the bottom letting all of her air fly out. She screamed as she became flattered and her movements became sluggish as air rushed out from her body, and soon she was limp in Hearts fingers. Heart turned around and winked at me and smiled, she held the deflated balloon clown to her lips and began to blow into her. Her body began to reinflate, but her printed body began to turn a solid yellow and her limps began to reside into her body and it slowly lost its sexualized curves. Heart blew and blew and the woman’s body became longer and cylindrical. And soon she was nothing but a yellow tube.

“What? What did you do to me?” the yellow tube asked as it wiggled around in Heart's hands.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Heart said tightening her hold on the balloon.

“Wait I’m sorry it was all a joke!” the balloon pleaded.

Heart began to squeeze and twist the balloon drowning out her pleas with the sound of squeaking rubber. I could see was she was doing from behind her round body, but the balloon’s cries were evenly turned into barking? Heart’s movements stopped, and she turned around holding a balloon dog in her hands. The dog jump down and bounced over to me and nuzzled against me.  Heart waddled over and gave me a hand up and dusted me off. “The answer to my question was a bitch.” The balloon dog bounced over to the male clown whose face began to light up.

A group of clowns surrounded me asking if I was ok and smack-talking the now clown-turned-dog, even though they were trying to comfort me I felt scared and alone. Heart pushed them backing telling them to give me space, and they backed away with a complaint. The sounds of what sounded like sirens came from down the street. A dozen cop clowns crammed into a tiny cop car with one on the top making the siren sounds came to a screeching halt in front of us.

“All right where is that bozo that is causing trouble!” all the cops said in unison as they stormed out of the car.

Heart picked up the balloon dog and held in towards them triumphantly, “Right here, she is now just a happy little balloon dog that loves snuggles and cuddles, and won’t hurt anyone anymore.”

“That’s good that clown was Naughty one of those mean-spirited jokers, she was going around blowing up humans who wandered into Clown Town, like your friend over there. You're lucky that you stopped her in time.” The cops all said in unison once again. They looked over to the male clown who just stood there with his massive dumb smile. The pointed at him and grumbled, “And you have poor clowns like that fella who she gave Dumb Dumb juice and liquefied their brains.” One of the cops signaled the others and they began to lead the clown to their car. “Don’t worry we will handle everything from here girls.”

“What about the doggy?” Heart asks hugging the balloon dog tightly, “She is harmless now.”

“Well I guess you can talk care of her,” the cops sigh, “Just make sure she stays out of trouble.”

“Will do officer!” Heart says, the cops give me a friendly smile and wave as they pack back into their car and leave. Heart until the dogs knot causing it to deflate and turn back into an empty yellow balloon, “Sorry girl I’ll blow you back up later.” Heart tucks the balloon into her outfit and then turns to face me. She nearly pounces on me and hugs me tightly. At first, I tried to fight it, but it was so soothing that it made me nearly forget about being attacked and nearly turned into a balloon. “I’m so sorry I broke our promise!” she cried, “I’m such a bad friend! I should have just blown myself back up and this wouldn’t have happened!”

“It’s fine Heart it’s not your fault,” I said between gasps of air that escape her constricting hug, “But you are strangling me!”

“Oh sorry! I’m a hugger,” she said letting me go.

My legs felt weak and I gasped for air, I looked down at my belly was stretched taut and poking out of the top of my pants and bottom of my shirt. “I just want to go home now, please.” Heart just nodded, no jokes no games. I know that she understood what I was going through. She leads me inside the train station and to the ticket counter.

“WHAT THERE'S NO MORE TRAINS FOR THE HUMAN WORLD TONIGHT!!!” Heart shouted causing the entire station to look at us.

The clown behind the counter spoke up, “Sorry the last train just left a few minutes ago, you two will have to wait for tomorrow, but I can give you these stickers as compassion.” She handed the two of us each a smiley face sticker as if that would solve anything.

We took are stickers and sat down at a nearby bench, I looked at Heart and asked her, “Is there any other way to get me home?”

She shrugged, “None that will guarantee that you will get home.”

“So I’m stuck in this nightmare until the morning?” I sighed, “Great, who knows maybe I will get crushed by a piano, or some other clown will come along and finish that balloon’s work?”

“I’m sorry about earlier, just like people not all clowns are nice.” She said trying to scoot close to me but I scooted further away. “But ninety-nine percent just want to make people like you smile!”

“Smile?” I said with a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah sure for the first half of my time here I loved it, but I didn’t want to see someone get turned into a hand puppet or a balloon.” I paused as I thought about Holly and how she was going to spend the rest of her life with someone’s hand shoved up her. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose my humanity, even if it was just turning into a regular clown.”

“They are happier this way,” her words caught me off guard not just from what she said but how she said it, there was no hint of humor just sincerity. “People have such borning and hard lives, and some just want an escape and to life without sadness or people to judge you. Lucy gives people the chance to have that escape. The way she chooses people isn’t random it’s if they want freedom deep down even if they don’t know it.” Her tone lightened and she pointed at herself, “She helped me so I know what I’m talking about!”

“So I’m the reason why this has all happened to me?” I said as I sulked down on the bench, so this was just another one of my stumble in my life, “Of course, it’s because of me because nothing can ever go right for me. And now I’m trapped in this crazy place for the entire night and now I look like I’m pregnant! ”

She jumped up into the air and puffed up her chest, “You did nothing wrong Marry!” She pointed at me, “Lucy scent you that box because she wanted to make you smile! Not because she wanted you to frown!”

“I think I’m down with clowns…” I said frowning, “after today I don’t think I look at them the same again. Whenever I think about them what happens today will be the only thing I can think of. Instead of the joy I once felt it will just be the laughing face of the balloon clown or the fear of losing myself to them. I guess I now understand why people find them scary.” She picked me up and put me between her arms in an instant. “Hey what are you doing! Let me go!” I said struggling.

“No, I’m not going to let you extinguish your joy!” she said to me with a smile, “We all have our bad days but that doesn’t mean the next day will be better!” she continued to talk while carrying me outside as I struggled to free myself. “Maybe missing the train was a good thing, if you got on it you would have left feeling miserable and losing your happiness. But we have one night to change that!” She stepped out in front of the road and held her finger out.

“Where are you taking me!” I said in a panic as I tried to escape the clown's grasp.

“I and the girls are having a party tonight and you’re going to be the guest of honor!” she exclaimed pumping her other fist into the air.

“MORE clowns!” I shouted, “That's the last thing I want right now!”

A cab stopped in front of us and a clown identical to the one from before stepped out and greeted us. Heart motioned him in and whispered something in his ear. His face lit up and he run back to the cap and popped open the trunk and pulled and crank out of it. He stuck it into the side of the cab and began to spin it causing the cab to grow longer becoming a comedically large limo and turning a glossy black. He pulled the crank out and dove into the trunk with it closing behind him. A rustling sound came from the inside and it began to jump back and forth cartoonishly as if someone was banging around on the inside. He stepped out of the driver's door now sporting a tux and walked over to the passenger door and opened it for us. Heart tossed me in and jumped in after me. Inside it looked like a fancy limo but with a clown color scheme and decorations. Like the cab, I was too big for it being forced to lay face first on the floor and my body taking up the entire length of the car, my inflated belly pressing against it. I tried to get up but all I did was bump my head against the roof. And before I knew it we were already driving off.

“Get ready for the most silliest night of your life Marry,” Heart's voice came from behind me, “I will make sure that you never forget this night and when you think about it all you remember is smiles!”

“I doubt that,” I sighed, “Where are you taking me?”

“Just that best club in all of Clown Town,” she laughed, “And don’t worry I will tell my friend not to play any tricks on you, don’t worry they are nice clowns.”

“That’s reassuring…” I said sarcastically. The limo when over a bump and landed back on my inflated belly, “Hey Heart is my stomach going to go back to normal?”

“Hard to say,” she said sounding confused, “Seems like with each pump you were going to turn more and more balloons, good thing I stepped in when I did. You could have been more balloon than human, but you just got away with a big belly.”

“So are all of you clowns magic or something?” I asked

“Yep, we all have clowny magic that makes us all cartoony and squash, stretch, and things like that.” pointed at herself and proudly exclaimed, “But certain clowns like myself have magic powers letting us do pretty much anything we want!”

“Then why can’t you take me home or fix my stomach,” I growled. She could have taken me home this entire time!

“No can do,” she said shaking her head, “The rules for clown magic are either turn into something into another thing or if it’s funny.”

“So you would have to turn me into a clown first to fix my stomach?” I said defeated,” But what's the point if I’m going to be a clown.”

“Hey the offer is still on the table, but I want to fix your lost joy first,” she exclaimed.

“Heart, why are you helping me?” I asked generally chorus, “Why didn’t you just transform me?”

“You were sad, simple as that,” she said with a large contagious smile on her face. “A clown's job is to make people smile. You looked like you had a rough day and need a pick me up, and that’s where I come in.”

She wasn’t wrong, before I got sucked into another world all I wanted was to crawl up and feel bad about myself. She just wanted to make me happy. Why did I want to return home it’s not like I have anything to go back to, and why do I want to stay human. Is it just because I’m afraid of change or too scared to take the first steps. I spoke to her, “I’m sorry about what I said about clowns, you guys aren’t scary.” I smiled at her and said, “You are Lucy I will always like…” Shit, why did I say that last part?

“Lucy?” she pondered, “I can introduce you to her if you want?”

“You mean it!” I jumped out banging my head against the roof and my belly on the floor.

“Yep she is a good friend of mine,” she winked at me, and my face was red with embarrassment. The cab came to a stop. “We are here!” she said jumping out of the door. She grabbed me by the legs and pulled me out with one single motion. I got to my feet and looked in front of me.

In front of me stood a massive sky scarper that tore through the night sky seeming to go on forever. The lower part looked like a carnival making the building seem like it would not look out of place on the Vagas strip beside the height. On the front, there was a massive pink neon outline of Lucy that switched between her standing and doing the Can-can while tipping her hat and it read “Lucy’s Loony Bin” in bright lights under it. The carnival music coming from the grand entrance seemed to be calling me toward it.

“Wait till you see the inside,” Heart said nudging my shoulder, reading me perfectly.

Heart lead me through the grand entrance, and the smells and sounds of the carnival overtook my senses. Heart lead me over to a balcony that overlooked what had to be the biggest carnival I had ever seen or in the world with a circus tent that was only bested by the one I was in earlier. There were games, rides, food stalls, and pretty much every circus and carnival-related thing you could imagen all wrapped up in a Vegas-themed package. Clowns and humans were walking around, playing games, and riding the rides. This was my heaven, I imagine I looked like a child at Disney land staring on in wonder at the park below.

“Welcome to Lucy’s Loony Bin, the wackiest place in Clown Town,” She said as if she was speaking in a TV advertisement. “A gazillion rides and attractions, friendly faces, never closes, and generated fun!”

I turned at looked at her, “So we are spending the night here?”

“Yep, she said wrapping her arm around me, “But before we go to the park there is somewhere I want to show you.” She leads me over to a large hand in the ground. “Ok just stand there and don’t move,” she said as she began to walk over to a button.

“What are you doing?” I asked knowing that I wasn’t going to get an answer.

“Just wait,” she said as she pressed the button. “This is the fastest way to get across the park.

I felt the hand below me shift, I already figured out what was about to happen. Before I could run the hand flung the two of us through the air. I screamed as we flew. Heart just laughed. I looked down at the theme park below me, it all looked so small. The ground got closer and then we landed on something soft creating a loud farting sound. It was a massive whoopie cushion. I struggled off of it landing face first on the ground.

 Heart picked me back up, and motioned in front of her, “We’re here!”

In front of us was a large tent with purple and white stripes, it wasn’t as large as the centerpiece tent but I was close. There was a long line of humans and clowns extending for what looked like forever. And above the entrance, there was a large neon sign of a naked cyan clown girl laying seductively naked becking people to enter, and below it read “Juicy's Jolly Joint” and in smaller lights “Booze, Drugs, Music, and Fun.”

“Welcome to Juciy’s!” Heart cheered like an excited child on Christmas, “It's the best club in all of Clown Town.”

My face became bright red and my chest felt tight, I tugged at my collar and said, “Sorry Heart but this isn’t my kind of place would it be ok if we spent our time playing games and going on rides?”

“Don’t worry Marry,” she said with a reassuring smile, “We’re just going to drink and watch the show.” She pulled me close and wisped into my ear, “Lucy’s going to be on stage tonight and her shows are something that you don’t want to miss.” She began to pull me towards the tent and cheered, “And if you want to we can play in the fun zone!”

“Ok, if we are just going for drinks and a show,” I said in a worried mumble, “As long as we aren’t doing any weird things. Weirder than normal here….”

“That's the spirit!” She said pulling me close.

Instead of finding the end of the line, which was another reason why I wanted to go somewhere else, the line looked as if it would take the entire night just to reach the door. Heart walked straight towards the door. We reached a red rope gate where the bouncer a muscular clown that was built like a wall and towered over us. He glared down at us gritting his teeth. The two of us just looked up at him and smiled nervously. He loomed over just like a crashing wave and we were completely consumed by his shadow.

“Hi ya, Heart long time no see, you and the girls getting together tonight!” he said in an out-of-place cheery and friendly voice that didn’t match his imposing, “Oh looks like you brought another special guest.” He turned towards me and smiled, “You in for a night of fun if you parting with Heart, I wish I was you right now!”

“Long time no see Bruno!” Heart said striking up a conversation with the imposing man. “We got get going I got a busy night planned.”

I just stared at him and smiled and nodded.

“Of course,” He said opening the rope and letting us through, “Have fun miss!”

We walked past the clown bouncer and to the opening, It was shaped like a clown’s face looking feminine and seductive with sharp features and enticing makeup for even a clown. And through the mouth and a spinning pathway that wasn’t out of place in a fun house with posters of clown stripers both male and female, as well as ones that weren’t as clear, and there were posters for drinks with weird names like “Mini Mind Mint, Blow Out Belly Brew, Shrinky Sunrise, and more.

As I struggled to keep my footing in the spinning tunnel and as Heart something, “How come the bounce let us through? Is he a friend or something?”

“Oh I’m friends with the owners of this place,” she answered, “It's nice to know people who own such a fun place.”

“You know Lucy?” I blurted out stupidly again.

“Not just her Juicy as well,” she answered again as if it was nothing knowing someone who owns a place like this, “Lucy is a big celebrity here who else do you think she owns a palace like this and Juicy isn’t someone to scoff at either, she a big shot on the stage and behind the counter. The two of them are like sisters to me.” We reached a pair of large purple doors. “Well, here we are! Are you ready to meet the girls?” I nodded.

Heart opened the doors and bright purple light shone from it what could only be described as techno circus music came through as well, as well as the sent of alcohol, sex, and cotton candy.