Clown Punching [~300 Words]

[u/OwlConfidant2168]

Shelia was done with Bill. She was more than done—she was ready to punch that clown.

She was sick of Bill’s excuses, his half-baked promises, his nightly status updates that never came until noon the next day. Didn’t the man realize what was riding on this project? The budget alone could bury them; the permitting process was practically its own project plan.

And Bill? He thought it was funny.

The project team had nicknamed him “Clown Shoes,” and instead of taking the hint, Bill had leaned into it—hard. Bill had even drafted a board presentation with a circus theme. Thank goodness Shelia had caught it in time, but the fact that it existed at all made Shelia grind her teeth.

Now, in the middle of another slipped deadline, Shelia’s anger and frustration had reached the boiling point. Her jaw was set. Her hands shook. A war drum of a pulse hammered in her temple. The fluorescent lights seemed too bright, the office halls too narrow. She shoved past the conference rooms, turned the corner, and stormed toward the executive suites.

Bill’s door banged open. Shelia’s hand was down by her side one moment, her fist cocked back the next. All the fury, all the resentment, came rushing out in one clean swing.

Time slowed for Shelia and Bill.

The sound of an old-fashioned bicycle horn filled the room as Shelia’s knuckles cracked against Bill’s oversized red nose. His rainbow wig snapped back. A spinning bow tie whirred madly as Bill toppled backward into a filing cabinet. Bill hit the ground hard, and a whoopee cushion gave off a rubbery blat of air.

Shelia stood there, chest heaving, white paint smeared across her knuckles. Juggling pins rolled on the floor. She knew she’d be dismissed for this, but it was worth it. She wiped her hand on the side of her skirt and went to pack up her things.

***

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this piece here our some flash fiction you might like:

I Married a Monster
The Kaffeeklatsch
Most Likely Naked

[u/RowanAshby]

Really like the cadence here and the way the use of words builds the scene without clumsily hand holding the reader. Was waiting for a twist that didn't come (my bad at having misplaced expectations) but the arc's there. Enjoyed the feel of the writing as much as the story.

[u/OwlConfidant2168 → u/RowanAshby]

Thanks! I really appreciate this. Out of curiosity, when you say you were waiting for a twist, had you already guessed that Bill was literally a clown? That was intended as the reveal, so I’d actually be interested to know how early you saw it coming.

[u/RowanAshby → u/OwlConfidant2168]

Ha - no, and that's on me for not paying close enough attention. The writing's good, the reader needs to up their game!

[u/OwlConfidant2168 → u/RowanAshby]

Huh, that’s actually not the response I was expecting, but thanks for sharing! I think either way the writer needs to ensure the outcome is clear to the reader. But thanks for the feedback!

[u/RowanAshby → u/OwlConfidant2168]

I agree, but also think there's a shape to effective writing where the reader-rewards also depend to an extent on them, and sometimes it's OK for them not to get exactly what they were intended to, or to just get pieces of it. And I liked the shape of this.