I'll Always Be Around You

Cassidy lay in bed, staring up at the colorless ceiling, marked only by a stripe of light from the nearby streetlamp. She let her eyes wander around the room filled with her toys, dolls, pretty furniture, familiar shapes blurred under the blanket of night. How lovely and wonderful they all were, but in moments like this, when she was alone, they only filled Cassidy with sad longing.

Cassidy's young life seemed calculated to keep her alone. For one thing, she was her parents' only child. Ten years had passed since her birth without even talk of having another child, as far as she knew. Adding to this, the family had moved so frequently that putting down roots and forming solid friendships had proven impossible for a shy and quiet child like Cassidy. There were days when she absolutely ached for a playmate, but such a joy was rarely to be hers.

She was just beginning to lose herself to the colorful, swirling images that would carry her off into slumber when she was yanked back to consciousness by a small, sharp noise. It came from the window directly beside her bed. For a moment, she simply lay there, wondering if what she'd heard was real. The tapping came again. Three light, but deliberate knocks at the pane of her window. Fear gripped her.

What do I do? she asked herself. What could be out there? Dozens of horrifying possibilities danced through her mind, but all went blank when the knocking came again. In an instant, she had made her decision. She would be brave and face whatever was outside her window. After all, she began to think, how bad could it be? And if it were anything truly terrible, her parents were in the very next room and could be summoned with a scream. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lifted the shade.

The sight that met her eyes was both confusing and unsettling. On the other side of the window, smiling broadly and waving, was a clown. Even in the pale yellow light of the streetlamp, she could see that his face was brightly painted. What she could see of his clothes was colorful, raggedy patchwork. His wig almost made her want to laugh as it resembled the '70s afro she'd once seen in a very old picture of her father. And to complete his silly appearance, of course, the clown wore a bulbous, bright red nose.

The clown tapped the window again, and Cassidy understood that this meant she was to open it. Naturally, she hesitated. Nothing about this situation was normal. I must be... dreaming, she reasoned. Strangely, this calmed her. The fear and uneasiness began to subside, giving way to confidence and a desire for play. She gripped the window tightly and slid it open.

"Hi, Cassidy!" said the clown in a funny, put-on voice.

"You know my name?" she asked.

"Of course I do!" he said. "I know a lot about you!"

"Oh yeah," Cassidy challenged, narrowing her eyes. "Like what?"

"Well," said the clown, forcing his face into an exaggerated frown, "I know you don't have any friends, or any brothers, or any sisters. And that makes you feel like you're all alone sometimes."

Cassidy felt the familiar longing in her heart once more. "Yeah," she said.

The clown wiggled his head and smiled once again. "Well, cheer up, little Cassidy! Because I'll be your friend!"

"You will?" Cassidy's eyes twinkled with joy.

"Sure I will," said the clown. "And no matter what, I'll always be around you. Believe me, I'm going to keep a good eye on you!" As he spoke these words, he reached up and mimed pulling out his own eye and snapping it back into position. Cassidy giggled wildly at the absurdity of it all. When the routine was done, the clown laughed with her. For a moment, they just giggled together, neither seeming to have a care in the world. Then, the clown spoke again. "You know what I'll do?" he asked.

"What?" Cassidy wondered, eager to see what else he had up his sleeve.

"I'll even leave you my nose as a promise of our... friendship!" With that, he plucked the nose from his face and set it on Cassidy's windowsill. Immediately, she snatched it up and squeezed the soft foam shape in her hands.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"You're welcome, Cassidy," said the clown. He looked at her and sighed, seeming quite content with himself and what had transpired. "Well, kiddo," he said at last, "It's getting pretty late, and a little girl like you needs her beauty rest."

"But Mr. Clown," Cassidy protested. "I'm not even tired." Before she had even finished the sentence, a yawn escaped her throat, obscuring the last few words.

The clown laughed, silently to himself this time. "Now, now," he said. "Don't worry. You go on to bed and have sweet dreams of all the games we'll play together." He gave her a toothy grin and added, "And I'll see you real soon.... Real soon."

And so, Cassidy said her last good nights to her new friend before closing the window and pulling the shade back down. Alone once again, she placed the clown's nose on her windowsill and laid her head back down on the pillow.

When Cassidy awoke, she could see the light that streaked across her ceiling had switched from lamplight to sunlight. She stretched and sat up in her bed, feeling quite pleased. What a lovely little dream she’d had! She would have to tell her mother all about such an exciting and encouraging vision. Being a cream, of course it didn't solve her loneliness problem, but it at least gave her hope. The more she thought about it, the funnier it became. Silly dream, she said to herself. How could a clown stand talking outside an eighth floor window?

It was only when she surveyed the room that her blood ran cold. Sitting on the windowsill, just where she had left it, was the big, red clown nose.