I've seen some crazy things in my lifetime. I live in Gotham, after all, so it's expected. There's plenty of nut-jobs here. But I've never seen anything like this.

I'm standing on a street corner, waiting for traffic to stop so I can cross. I've already pressed the button for the WALK sign, but it's taking forever. This is where it starts. Another wave of traffic passes, and I look past it to the street corner across from me.

There's a man standing there. He wasn't there before. He's hunched over slightly, a duffle bag across one of his shoulders and a mask in his hand. I can't help but stare. It's not just because of the strange things he's holding. No, I would probably glance away if that was all. It's… it's his face.

He looks like some sort of scary clown. His hair looks greenish in the sun, his face is covered in white, while around his eyes there's black and his lips are red. The red seems to form a large smile, almost to his ears. I feel goosebumps rise on my arms. What a creep, I think, about to look away.

He sees that I'm staring. He looks up, and our gazes meet. That's when I notice what I didn't notice before. The smile he has isn't just from the paint. There are jagged, grotesque scars there. The paint covers them. I continue to stare, in shock and fear, at his mutilated, painted face, and he just stares back. Eventually, he gives me a creepy smile, revealing yellow teeth, and a van pulls up in front of him, blocking my view. When it drives away, he's gone, and I can't help but feel relieved.

The WALK sign finally appears, and I cross. I look on the ground where he stood, and there's a playing card there. I turn it over, revealing that it's a Joker. I stare at it for a while, feeling suddenly chilled, and put it in my pocket. I'm just glad to be rid of the clown. He gives me a bad feeling. But hey, that's Gotham for you.