Adam Ericson brought Andrew into his office. He sat down at his desk and smiled. "So you want to work here as a clown, do you?"
The clown nodded, a bit hesitantly. "Let me guess," said Ericson, "that's not makeup you're wearing, is it?" Seeing Andrew's shocked look, he went on, "Most who come here come without makeup-excpet for people like you. You're not the first." Andrew was shocked. Other people like him had been turned into clowns? Than he began to feel hope; maybe there was a way to turn back!
Ericson went on, "More than half of our clowns had once been orinary people who'd been transformed in some way or other. Their stories are all different; some were changed by magic, others a mechanical device. There are a few who were even born in this circus as clowns, having one or both parents who were turned. Tell us your story."
Andrew told the ringmaster how he had gone to the arcade, pulled the nose out of the claw machine, put it on, and then saw how he had been transformed. Mr. Ericson nodded. "Yes those. We have five other clowns who'd been changed in that way. Those d-m noses." He shook his head. "Unfortunatly we don't know were they came from, or any way to reverse what's happened to you." Although his mouth was stuck in a smile Andrew felt his heart sink; he was going to be like this for the rest of his life?
Kindly, Mr. Ericson asked, "What's your family situation. I'm afraid we'll have to let them know, so we don't have any trouble with the authorities. Andrew felt some relief; he'd been orphaned at seven when his parents died in a car crash. After he finished high school Andrew left the orphanage and lived with some other orphans working odd jobs to support themselves. He'd got along well with his roommates but wasn't particuarly close to any of them.
When he told Mr. Ericson his story, the man actually brightened up. "That makes things a lot simpler then! You can just call your roomates, tell them you've found a new job, and are leaving town. No family entanglements, no boss to contact or missing persons ' reports to get messed up with!"
The ringmaster calmed down, then looked at Andre again. "What experience do you have? Can you juggle? Tie balloons? Know anything about face painting?" Andrew shook his head. "A total newbie, eh? Well, one of the position open is for an apprentice clown. Jobo Johnson, one of our leading clowns, is willing to train someone new."
"Thank you." said Andrew. His old life wasn't terrible but it wasn't great either. Maybe his new life here would give him some meaning.
"I have to warn you about somthing though. What's happened to you-it only starts with your appearance. Your voice will start to become goofier and sillier as the weeks go by. You will giggle or chuckle on impulse, even when it's inappropriate. In other words, you won't just look like a clown, you will compulsivly behave like one too."