[XOTM] I am the great clown Pagliacci

The great clown Pagliacci walked out of his most recent show. His shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. He hadn’t been feeling the best for awhile, and toughing it out wasn’t working. His next show wasn’t until tomorrow night, so he decided to go talk to a therapist about it.

On his way to the therapist office he was stopped by a small Xero and who looked to be their parents. “You’re such a funny clown!” The child yelled. Pagliacci knelt down, and pulled a flower out of his sleeve. 

“I’m glad you like it. A gift from Pagliacci to you!” He gestured to the flower. The child started pulling, and pulling. The faux flower was tied to a long string of bandanas, and as the kid laughed at the silliness of just how many were pulled out, the end was a little red clown nose. Pagliacci placed it on their nose and then gave it a honk, causing the kid to dissolve into a fit of more giggles.

He helped their parents gather up the bandanas and the flower and waved them off. He was feeling a bit better after that, but still continued to his therapy appointment.

He checked in at the desk and waited, glancing around at the little motivational posters. One said “hang in there” with a Volan hanging upside down. Pagliacci pulled out a stick-on mustache that wasn’t too sticky to tear the poster and gently pressed it on the Volan’s muzzle. He let out a small snort before hearing his name called to see the Therapist.

He sat on the somewhat comfortable chair and waited for the Doctor to come in. A Xero with spectacles and a suit walked in, notepad in hand. 

“So, Mr.Pagliacci, you’ve been feeling down recently?” The doctor asked, reading off her notes as she sat down.

“Yes Doctor, and everything I’ve tried to do hasn’t helped.” Pagliacci responded, urgency in his voice.

“It sounds like this is a new thing. Has there been any hardships, isolation, or dramatic events recently?” The doctor asked, looking at him above her glasses. 

“No! I’m the Great Clown Pagliacci! I make everyone smile, and yet I can’t even make myself happy. What am I do to?” He cried, the feelings pouring out of him. 

“You have a show tomorrow, yes? Please hand this note to your social media coordinator, and show up an hour or two early for your show. I’ll meet with you afterwards and see how you’re feeling then.” She handed him a note before waving him out. 

Pagliacci was dismayed at the doctor’s efforts to get him to leave, and didn’t read the note before handing it off to his social media manager. He flopped in bed and waited for sleep to take him to tomorrow.

He got to his show two hours early, and with nothing better to do checked his messages. His social media manager texted him, reminding him to check his email.

When he opened it up he saw thousands of messages, friends, family, and fans all telling him how his shows helped them at their lowest, or made their day even better. Pictures of his fans waiting in line, or leaving with a smile and cotton candy, or even getting pictures with him filled the messages. 

Pagliacci started to tear up, the heartfelt messages touching him. His manager came in and gave him a hug, saying “thank you, you’ve made such a difference in my life. There’s nobody else I’d rather work for.”

Pagliacci hugged him back. “Thank you my friend.” He whispered. He looked at the time and saw that the show was about to start. He pulled away and wiped his tears.

“Time for the show! The Great Clown Pagliacci is here!”

That night everyone on the Rez seemed to talk about how Pagliacci’s show today was better than ever. Everyone could tell his heart was in it, and everyone loved to laugh along at Pagliacci’s antics. Pagliacci himself thought that had been one of the best shows in a long time.