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Clowns on the Run

by D. S. White

About the Author: D. S. White has worked on numerous publications, including children's storybooks, textbooks, anthologies and magazines. He teaches high school and loves the short story format. His collection of short stories, The Land of Words, broke the top 50 best seller list on Amazon. The book is a healthy mixture of speculative and literary pieces, showing off his curiosity for all kinds of storytelling. He was born in the mountains but now lives by the sea.

Excerpt

The highway crossed over the river by way of a four-lane bridge. Emmett stuck his head out the window and leaned over. It looked a long way down to the water, a long way down for nothing.

The cattails stuck in the mud by the riverbank, swaying in the wind, not going anywhere. He’d grown up somewhere down there. His memory flooded with thoughts deep and murky, filled with strange debris, bumping in the currents. The river pushed against the banks and the cattails swayed and the mud pushed back.

They said doing time was like a river. But a river didn’t have to worry about crossing state lines and breaking parole. A river didn’t have to be back at work on Monday morning or stand losing a job. A river didn’t have to pay rent by the end of the month or stand getting evicted. The river just flowed, and where it stopped flowing, it disappeared in the ocean. Paying for the past was nothing like a river.

At the end of the bridge they took an exit ramp, turning around just short of a full circle. From there the road extended under the bridge and went south. They followed the road until they came to a gas station where they pulled over. Four clowns sitting in a van looked back at Emmett in the convenience store window.

Lou opened the door and got out to stretch his legs. “I’m sick of driving,” he said. “Somebody fill’er up and somebody take the wheel. Oh, and don’t forget to spring a leak before we leave.”

“We’re fresh out of cash. Should we tip the police off before or after we loot the place?” Glen asked.

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