Alissa strolls down her house's empty street. Her thoughts marvel around the movie's plot. She feels the cold wind blow against her thighs. Alissa eyes her house but takes her time walking. She doesn't want her weekend to end yet.
Her eyes glance at the sewer canal and find herself smirking at the sight of it,
She starts walking slowly, looking intently into the dark pit of the canal, then start walking past it. As she steps away, Pennywise's shining, golden eyes flash in the dark and follows her.
Alissa feels the goosebumps running down her whole body. The trick worked, alright, she thought. She scared herself and is only convinced that fear is all in the mind. She smirks at the thought. Alissa knows it was all a movie, but she can't help but be intrigued with the fact that demons exist out of fear. How logical-and clever, she thought.
Alissa is about to leave to visit the store when she's stopped by her mother. The TV is on blast, but her mother is on her phone sitting on the couch beside her father. She tells her that she's off to the mall to finally buy herself the new camera,
"Want me to come with?" her mom asks as she puts down her phone,
The family converses as a news reporter speaks in the background on TV, talking about how two children have already gone missing. The reporter concludes that it must be some kind of power trip as the murders seem to sync with the movie that just came out. The reporter mentions "Pennywise" and this catches Alissa's attention,
She glances at the screen,
Her mother stands and glances at the TV before she leaves, "There are some crazy people out there,"
"What happened?"
Her mother walks over to the kitchen, "That clown from the movies probably inspired crazy people to hunt down kids. It's been all over the news."
"What the hell?"
"Language." Alissa's father says,
Alissa frowns at her father's remark, suddenly pissed at the thought that her parents must have forgotten that she's probably smarter than the whole street,
"That's why your mother's going with you to the mall."
"I'll be fine, okay. I'm seventeen-no, I'm turning 18 tomorrow. I can handle any type of crap crazy people can pull on me before they can even do anything. Of all people, you both know that."
Alissa's mother stops on her tracks to glance at her father, then back at her,
"I'll be back after lunch." She assures them,
Her mother places her bag down on the table, "You sure?"
"Of course."
Her father nods, "Lunch time, okay."
"Definitely." Alissa responds and takes the car keys from her mom then pecks her on the cheek. Alissa heads out of the house, leaving her parents. Her parents watch her leave. Alissa's father glances at his wife, "She's eighteen and smart." He says with a shrug, "No idiot clown can get through our girl."
The clouds hover over the bright sun, making the heat more tolerable. It makes me smile as I park the car at the lot. It's definitely gonna be a great birthday. It's turning out the way I want it to be.
No sun, no traffic, going to the mall to buy myself that camera I've always wanted. I can finally take decent pictures now.
I walk briskly as I get inside the store out of excitement and is greeted by a salesman, "Hello, what can I do for you today?"
I smile in response and ask for the camera I've been saving up for.
The heavy DSLR hangs on my neck as I stroll past the mall. I've decided to take a walk while the sun's out so I can test my camera as well. I take a few sample photos of strangers just happily strolling around. Lovers, grandparents, parents with their little kids. As I aim my camera at one of the children skipping across, my eyes catch a clown face, startling me. I quickly retreat to see at what I saw with my own eyes,
I see nothing so I look through my camera only to realize that I just happened to spot Pennywise's cardboard cutout out of the movie house. I snap a photo of it anyway to remember that I should probably stop spying on strangers and taking photos for now.
I decide to walk back to the car to finally head home.
Driving along the street near my neighborhood, I enjoy every stop sign. This way, I get to snap sample photos of landscapes. Open roads, pretty houses, and just simple street signs that seem aesthetically pleasing. What can I say, having a camera's the best thing that's ever happened to me.
It's a red light. I grab my camera and shoot at the park across the road. It looks so nice at a weather like this. Maybe I should go for the theme: isolation for my first camera project. That would be nice.
As I try to take shots of the park at the corner, I notice something floating in midair. I look away, trying to adjust my eyesight, doubting my senses. Then, I look through my camera to zoom in at what appears to be a red balloon.
Oh my God. This isn't-is it?
How much of a coincidence could this be? I look around and see that the park's empty. I pause for a while then look at the balloon again. It's just...floating there...midair and not moving.