Were you really gonna spend one of the few days off you get by getting rid of some of your ex's old belongings via donating them to a thrift shop?

     Yes. Yes, you were.

     Hey, you get to lose some of the things that brought painful memories, and while you were here, you could pick up some nice little finds. And they were cheap too so that's a plus.

     Shush, you're a college dropout who works at a circus themed yogurt shop, you can't afford to be picky.

     You were mainly looking through the clothes, and jewelry sections. When you couldn't find anything there, you wound up at the used books section. That bore zero fruit, so you decided to try looking through the miscellaneous lil' trinkets and doodads that all thrift stores had. You found a few nice things. A nice-looking plate set, a small antique jewelry box, one of those tin mint boxes you could use to store mini trinkets, and one of those cute kitty clocks with the wagging tail. You were pretty torn on whether you should keep the clock for yourself or send it as a gift for your cat dad of a friend. Decisions decisions... You suck at making them.

     You were about ready to head to check out with your finds before you came across something new. Or... Old if you wanna get technical.

     VHS tapes are very common in thrift stores. They're old and beginning to turn obsolete, so they were pretty much bound to end up either here, or the trash. Before you sat a rather old and honestly poorly looked after tape, its label extremely faded and torn. You could barely read what it said. All you could read was '87- Inc-' in what looked like cheap red marker. The rest looked like it was smudged. If you knew any better, you would've thought it was written in blood. Hah, that cat dad of a friend you have would've hit you upside the head to have ever thought of such a poorly cliché horror trope. That or kissed you straight on the mouth, who can tell with him?

     But why was it here and not in the used movie section? Did someone initially think of buying it but decide not to and just tossed it at the nearest shelf they were at? Eh, you wouldn't be surprised.

     You picked the tape up, flipping it over and looking over each side if it had... Well... Anything else to it. Was it some home movie or something? Or an old horror flick that wanted to have that certain type of aesthetic? You can't really tell. Unlike someone you knew, you weren't really a horror nut.

     You were considering buying it just to satiate your growing curiosity. Hell, maybe you will grow a pair and finally ask Shaun if he wasn't busy and if he wants to hang out to watch it with you. You will even try to fix that old VCR that he left with you.

     But...

     Hm...

     You don't know... Maybe he won't be able to, and you would've bought a tape and fixed an entire VCR over nothing. And you absolutely hated wasting your time on things that only result in not working out.

     It's probably for the best if you don't get it. You don't wanna waste the little money you have on something you would probably never use or even end up liking. So, with that decided, you set it back to that shelf and head on over to check out.

     You opted to keep your gaze to the chipped tile floor, not wanting to make eye-contact. One reason you liked thrift stores was that they were often less occupied stores compared to more mainstream ones, so you were much less likely to bump into people or accidentally make eye contact with strangers, but you still go out of your way to not do that.

     The lines were always short, and the waits never lasted long here. Not that you were impatient, but it was still nice. You let the plastic basket filled with your finds hang from your arm as you wait, mindlessly listening to the beeping of items being ringed up and the faint music of the radio that plays throughout the store's speakers. The background noise was nice.

     Before you knew it, you were next up, and you were laying your finds down for the tired looking teen cashier to ring everything up. It was like you were on autopilot. And honestly you were. You didn't even realize that something didn't belong on the small pile until the cashier rang it up.

     What the Hell was the tape doing there!? Did you not set it down on the shelf properly and it slipped on the basket when you walked away? Agh...

     You were half tempted to let the cashier know that you didn't actually want the tape, but you hesitate. You really didn't want to bother this worker with the stupidity of your average customer... And... You suppose it's not a big deal to lose an extra dollar or two on a tape you will likely re-sell or throw away...

     "That'll be thirty-five fifty." the teen worker droned, snapping me from my thoughts and I hurriedly dug into my bag and swiped my card, grabbing the plastic bag and nearly running out of the store.

❣

     You closed the door behind you with an exhaustive sigh, slumping against the cold door. You can't tell if you're relieved to have gotten rid of his things, or if you're somehow regretful.

     Baby steps, you suppose. You'll eventually clear out his room. Eventually.

     But let's forget about him! Now you can go through the purchases you made today to mask your... Issues.

     Anyway, you dragged your feet over to the living room, flicking the lights on, placing the plastic bag on the coffee table and slumping onto the ratty old couch behind said table. You gave a small hum, digging into the bag, pulling everything out. Maybe you will actually give the kitty pendulum to Shaun after all...

     Then there was the tape. The peeling label almost acted like a beckoning finger. Urging you to watch it.

     Geez, you must be actually losing it. Was your life so boring and bland that you were just making things much more ominous than they actually were? Yeah, probably.

     Well, you paid two dollars for it. You might as well use it. Just need to find that old VCR that Shaun left you. Now where did you put it?

❣

     You nearly tore down the entire apartment, but you finally found it! Turns out it was just hanging out collecting dust in the closet with some old, discarded movies. You groan, kneeling to the ground and picking up the old gray VCR. Just when was the last time this thing was used? You then peek down at the box full of old movies, scanning through them. Oh! There were a few old horror flicks you remember watching with Shaun. God, they were so dumb, but you loved that about them. And there looked like there were a few cheesy looking rom-coms. Huh... You know damn well you wouldn't watch these. At least not alone. So, who... Oh.

     He always loved those cliche flicks. They always made you cringe a bit, but back then? You couldn't care less. His eyes sparkled at every scene as he held you just a bit closer under the throw blanket you two had shared. You wanted to make him happy back then. You loved making him happy. It didn't matter what you thought.

     Looking at those movie nights now, though... It all felt fuzzy. Luch like the dust that coated the VCR and the old movie tapes, those memories are now dull and hazy. Nothing felt concrete now. It didn't feel real anymore even though you knew very well those memories were real.

     Nothing felt real.

     ...

     Let's just fix that VCR...

❣

     You were no handyman. Like... At all. If any device was acting up, your first instinct would be to just turn it off and on again, and obviously, you can't do that in this situation. You're pretty certain you actually made it worse than it initially was. But after hours of tinkering, experimenting, rage-quitting, staring blankly at the wall, and watching tutorials on YouTube, you finally managed to do it! Hooray for you!

     You release a long huff and fall back to the floor, wincing when your stiff, poorly postured spine was forced to straighten on the carpet. You spent so long bent over trying to fix that VCR that the sky has turned dark ages ago. All so you could watch a tape you didn't even want. But hey, at least you were being productive. Kinda. Would your mom consider this as productive? Or just sad? Who knows.

     You probably spent around five minutes on the floor, gazing into nothing in particular, until you finally decided to sit back up and hook the VCR up to the TV. Once that was done, you grabbed the tape that started this mess and slid it into the VCR, watching the device consume the VHS. You then sat back, waiting to see if hours of work were worth it.

     And right away the black screen of the TV turned into a blue-ish gray screen of static snow, the volume of the static buzzing making you wince. It almost made your head hurt.

     Maybe... Maybe it'll eventually stop and show the tape? Yeah, maybe it just needs a minute.

     So, you waited.

     And waited.

     And... Waited...

     You swear to God, if the tape itself doesn't work... You did not spend the one day off of the week you have fixing an ancient VHS just for the tape itself to not work!

     With dwindling hope, you just sat there, like a child sitting in front of the TV waiting for their Saturday morning cartoons to come on.

     There was some movement under static. But it was so subtle under the blue-tinted TV snow that it was nearly impossible to make out. After some time, you finally noticed a figure in the middle of the screen. The figure looked masculine, but any other feature was obscured by the static. You stared at the screen, waiting for... Well, anything to happen. For him to move or say something. Anything! But nothing. Nothing at all.

     "Ugh... Of course it's not gonna work..." you groan, cursing at yourself. If the VCR wasn't the problem, then it was probably the tape itself, and you have zero clue how to even start with that problem... So, defeated, you rise to your knees and aim your finger for the TV's 'off' button, ready to just sulk to bed and silently wallow in frustration at work the next day.

     But...

     "What a beautiful sunny day today is!" you jump slightly at the sudden voice emanating from the old TV speakers. It was probably the most jovial tone you've ever heard- one that radiated pure sunshine.

     "Huh?" you look back up at the now clear screen. You were quickly blinded by how bright everything was. The scene playing on the screen was just... Primary colors everywhere, and the saturation turned all the way up. Like- Jesus, were they trying to blind their audience?! Wouldn't a pastel or two kill anyone? Once your eyes adjusted, you quickly gathered that whatever this was? It was an old childrens TV show. The actors were singing their show's theme song, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the first voice you heard belonged to who you assumed to be the show's poster boy. Bright blue hair styled in some kinda fluffy mullet, red face makeup, big doe eyes, and sun iconography everywhere. The face definitely matched the voice, you'll admit that.

     It was kinda strange to see that the theme of this kid's show was some kinda... Clown...? World? Everyone- aside from the children- were dressed up as clowns. Minus the big ol' red nose- Well, one of them had a big ball nose, but it was blue- thank God. But... To be fair, this show looked like it belonged in the eighties. So, you guess the scary clown stigma wasn't as prominent back then. It kinda reminded you of Yo Gabba Gabba and Lazy Town. Just... Less puppets and mascots. The opening song was even a bit catchy.

     By the time it ended, the main guy, Sunny Day Jack, you gathered, was on the center of the screen, surrounded by the cast, surprisingly buff arms open wide, "Ah, yes. Today is a sunny, sunny day." and then his eyes were dead center towards the camera, almost as if he were looking straight at you. Then, he takes a step forward. You almost expect his big, red, clown shoes to squeak with each step. Then, you notice something... Dark? Beginning to drip down the right side of his face, his right eye obscured by his bright blue bangs. It dripped down his face like a dark tar.

     "What the...?" you murmur, tilting your head as you look at him. His smile was as bright as ever, but now his eyes looked strained. He was getting closer and closer, until he was practically hugging the camera, cupping it in his yellow gloved hands as if he was caressing a face. Then, those same, yellow gloved fingers were poking at the lens, as if he were trying to poke through the screen, "And I'd love..."

     "Uh...?" you slowly crawl backwards, away from the TV. Was... Was the screen warping? It was. It was like the clown's finger was ready to pop the screen as if it was a stubborn bubble. This can't be real... This had to be a dream... The slow crawl quickly became a stumble, up until your back hit the foot of your couch. Your fingers gripped onto the matted carpet below you, ready to rip up the threads at any moment.

     You stare dumbly as the clown emerges from the screen, as if he was copying off of The Ring. His head drooped down, like his neck was broken, his mop of blue hair falling downwards like a waterfall. Once he was halfway through the screen, his head suddenly snapped back up, those big doe eyes now manic, and staring straight at me, "Oh... How I'd love to spend it with you."

     Your breath becomes haggard, and you can't jump to your feet any faster than you did, but once you settle on your feet, you can feel your chest sink, and your head grow light. You feel your cold fingertips pressing against your temple, feel your knees shake and buckle, and faint nausea building up from your stomach. You didn't realize you fell back onto the floor until you felt the scratchy carpet against your (S/C) skin. You choke on air as the now intruder fully crawls out of the TV, and a sudden onset of static invades your mind, making you wince and groan, crawling in on yourself, "Stop it... Stop it..." you whimper, fingers clawing at your temples as the clown crawls closer.

     "Don't... Get... Any... Closer..." you choke between each word, and yet he doesn't respond. You wanted to scream- you needed to scream. But it felt as if there was a hand wringing your esophagus, stopping any words that wanted to crawl out between your lips. There was a man who crawled through a fucking TV and all you can do is choke on air and tears as you crawl into a ball? Seriously!? Couldn't you fight back? Run away? Anything at all!?

     Your eyes were getting heavy.

     No...

     You can't pass out now.

     You can't...

     And yet, no matter how much you berate or plead to yourself to do something, you do nothing. Your eyes droop, your brain buzzes, your chest sinks, and the clown is now knee to knee with you, slowly opening his arms. You whimpered in protest but was ignored as his arms wrapped themselves around you, his hand cradling the back of your head as it laid at his chest.

     He had no heartbeat.

     But God, was he warm.