A young teenaged boy has an unusual phobia.

Whenever I tell people about my fear, they look at me like I'm crazy, say I'm irrational, think that I've gone off the deep end.

Yet whenever I see the boldly painted face of a clown, or see their baggy clothing, or see their wild fright wigs, I always break out into a cold sweat, plus my heart feels like it's gonna'  jump right on out of my chest. I start to sweat profusely, my stomach turns into jelly, I get nauseated, and I'm always scared I'm gonna' hurl. This is why I don't do fairs, festivals, circuses, or birthday parties for kids. Chances are more than likely a clown'll be there (or clowns).

I'd much rather stay home, thank you very much.

I guess you can blame my unusual fear on my older sister, Imagine. Imagine has always been a horror movie freak: the more graphic, the more horrific, the scarier, the better she likes 'em; no, she loves 'em! She saw one about a killer clown ("It"), and when I saw what she was watching, that's when I lost it. I was just a little kid back then, no older'n the age of four, when I saw this ugly faced clown killing people; eever since, I've had this morbid fear of clowns--or anything having to do with them.

Now, Imagine says I'm being stupid when I wig out at the sight of a clown, but what she fails to understand is this: if it were not for her watching that stupid clown movie, I'd probably have turned out alright. I definitely would have turned out a lot better.

I am 12 years old, and my fear has only intensified. I see a clown in a book, magazine, or on television, and I go nuts. I start yelling and sometimes I'll go into a full-blown panic attack--or worse, pass out colder'n a flattened flounder. I have had to go to the Emergency Room before on account of my clown phobia, and believe me, it's no laughing matter!

In the meantime, I'm doing everything I possibly can to avoid clowns at all costs. No, having a phobia like mine is NOT easy AT all!

~Written by Story Phineas Gossage, aged 12 (phobia sufferer to clowns). :(