Loud House: Flash!

Because I'm lazy, and because I was also bit by the flash fiction bug.

1st Flash: Clyde's Deepest Fear

"So, Clyde, your fathers tell me you still haven't reverted to your normal self since the cruise."

Clyde's eyes darted to and fro nervously for a moment, scanned the room, then he let out a laugh. "Oh, that? I-it's nothing, Dr. Lopez, really!"

She didn't look convinced. "You know all I want to do is help you, Clyde. I know I've asked this before," a sigh escaped her lips, "but are you certain no one hurt you on that cruise? Maybe something you might be too ashamed or frightened to talk about, even with your fathers or your friends?"

Clyde wanted to brush her off yet again, tell her the same thing he told his dads or Lincoln or anyone really, every time they pried. But then something occurred to him.

"W-well," he started, hunching over as the woman leaned in. "Actually, it is kind of embarrassing."

She seemed interested. "Embarrassing? In what way? There's no need-"

"It's not like that," Clyde interrupted, looking her dead in the eye as he explained. "I wasn't… you know… hurt or anything like that. It's just that, see, I kind of found out I have a new fear."

"Another one?"

He nodded, thankful she seemed to be buying it. "Yeah, I just can't believe I'd get another phobia, and I didn't want my dads to feel bad, seeing as the cruise was something they'd been wanting to go on and kind of forced me to go along with instead of staying at Lincoln's place during that trip, especially since it was the cruise that caused this phobia, in a way."

For the first time in a long while, Clyde saw a sliver of hope as Dr. Lopez apparently believed him. But, as she and he made a bit of small talk and the clock drew down to the close of their appointment, talks of how to broach such a subject with his fathers being the primary focus, she stopped him as he eagerly went for his backpack, jacket and umbrella.

"One more thing, Clyde."

"Yes?"

Dr. Lopez crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a bemused expression on her face. "What sort of phobia did you acquire on that cruise?"

Clyde paused. He'd managed to keep her from asking earlier by directing the conversation to how he'd tell his dads, but what could he do now?

He tried stalling. Bit his lip in concentration. Could feel himself growing lightheaded, knew he had to think fast. Then, after realizing he wasn't getting out without saying something, he sighed. "You're really not going to believe this."

"Try me," she smiled reassuringly.

He took a deep breath, then said, "I'm afraid of things from the deep crawling up from the surface, skulking around with wet fish-slapping noises and tentacle thingies wriggling all about as they look for victims to take back to their secretive temples far below the sea where they erase all memory of them before eating them and regurgitating their meals to their heckspawn children then sacrificing themselves to a greater god-like being whose return shall herald the darkest times humanity has ever known and who can only be kept at bay by reciting a litany for each night's sacrifices at exactly midnight where the temple rests lest the creature come back through a portal that shall open via the conduit of one of their marked victims."

Dr. Lopez blinked. A crash of lightning and thunder didn't even faze the two, nor did the brief flickering of the light. A moment later, Dr. Lopez said, "That's… an oddly specific fear."

Clyde laughed nervously. "Dang old movies. I knew I should have listened and reported that the parental lock was busted on the TV. That'll teach me, right?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it, then repeated this three more times before smiling, nodding, then saying, "I'll see you next Thursday?"

He nodded, then quickly left.

Clyde was glad she didn't hold him up any longer as he scurried along to the bathroom, hurriedly pulling out a packet of salt and a bottle of water, his skin crawling as he every so briefly made contact with that book in his bag. But he remained calm, ducked inside the bathroom, dumped the salt into the bottle, shook it up, took one last look around the bathroom to ensure no one was around…

...and greedily snorted the water down.

"P-please, oh please make this all stop," he whimpered as he looked up his nostrils, checked them thoroughly with the light of his smartphone and the mirror. "I just want this to end!"

But the gills that now lined both nostrils steadily continued to grow.

End of 1st Flash

A/N: I've been wanting to write something, anything, with Clyde in it. Flash fiction will just have to do, I guess, since I don't have the time to really get involved with anything longer right now.

Also, if any of these stories make you want to expand on them (doubtful, but covering my bases) go right on ahead and do so. Just, if you would, make sure people know where you got it from in case they want to potentially expand or rework any flash fictions posted in this particular series. And hey, let everyone know in the reviews if that's the case, we might want to check it out!

As always, thank you so very much for reading, and I hope this wasn't a waste of your time. Take care!