FLASH
Ryan lowered the camera and looked at himself and his mother. "We're back!" he said happily, then screwed up his face. "I was a GIRL, Mommy."
'And the only time you weren't, you were my boyfriend,' Erica thought wryly. She was just glad that her son was too young to understand how revolting THAT thought was.
She looked at the Mall around them. "The Mall certainly has changed again, though."
If Anything, that was an understatement. The floors, ceilings, and floors were a riot of colors and polka dots, stripes, and tie-dyed patterns. Circus calliope music was playing in the background. And of the mall staff, and most of the customers, were dressed like clowns. Even the latter who weren't, at least half, were wearing clown makeup or face paintings, or sporting clown noses. The stores were now selling various clown costumes, makeup, props, or novelties. The family they'd used for a test subject now consisted of a female auguste clown fully dressed, painting the faces of a cluster of 6-year-olds and a male whiteface tying balloon animals. The skanky looking teenager who'd been their first test subject was now a shabby looking hobo clown panhandling. At what had been a beauty salon, customers were going in as themselves, and coming out in full clown costume and makeup.
Ryan was delighted; he'd loved clowns ever since he was three and his grandparents took him to the circus. "Mommy look!" he pointed at the former salon. Erica looked; in the window was a sign that read, FAMILY PHOTO DAY. PARENTS AND KIDS GET PROFESSIONAL QUALITY CLOWN MAKEUP AND COSTUME PHOTO SHOOT FOR HALF PRICE.
After Erica read those words aloud, Ryan smiled even wider. "Lets go Mommy! I want to be a clown!"
Sighing, Erica agreed. She didn't share her little boy's enthusiasm, but still, it could be fun. She'd been doing a lot of overtime at her job lately; she could certainly afford it. "Come on then, she said.
They waslked to the stall that had been the salon. Inside were several lady clowns applying makeup to children and adults-mostly mothers-then taking them behind curtains where they'd emerge in full costume comlpete with wigs, clown noses, and clown shoes, and led to a backdrop where two clowns with an old fashioned looking camera took their pictures.
A plump, motherly looking whiteface clown waddled up to Erica and Ryan. "So, you two are here for the family photo shoot?" Ryan nodded eagerly, while Erica simply shrugged. "Well, come on then." She lead the mother and son to two empty chairs.
After they sat down and had arber's capes put over them, the clown held up a chart, showing various clown faces and their description. "Well, little boy," she asked Ryan, "what kind of clowns do you and your mother want to be?"