- Event: Chaos 049
Inside the office of Dr. Ignatius Grimshaw, a psychotherapist at Harbor Mental Health Counseling, Dr. Grimshaw speaks into his phone’s microphone as he reviews a folder that was given to him by his assistant Stella just moments ago.
Dr. Grimshaw: The patients name is Malakai DeLirio, but he assumes the moniker, “The Clown Prince.” According to the documents I have before me, Mr. DeLirio is a professional wrestler who recently signed with the prestigious High Octane Wrestling promotion. Prior to signing with this wrestling company Malakai was a…
“BANG, BANG, BANG, tap, tap…”
Dr. Grimshaw is jolted by three very loud knocks follow by what sounds like two quick fingernail rolls on his office door. The sound nearly caused the doctor to drop his phone. Dr. Grimshaw stands up and opens the door. Malakai walks in and as he passes the doctor, he gives him a playful tap on the doctor’s right shoulder.
Dr. Grimshaw: (regaining his composure, but looking slightly confused) Ugh, Stella? Excuse me, but was my assistant… Didn’t she greet you when you arrived?
Malakai DeLirio: (Leaning in close to the doctor, his eyes gleaming with wicked amusement) Ah, Stella, dear Stella. It seems my entrance might have… unnerved her just a tad. You see, my dear Doctor, I have a certain effect on the fragile minds of those around me. Perhaps she’s taken a little hiatus to regain her composure, much like you are trying to do right now. Ha ha ha!
Malakai pulls out a bronze pocket watch and start swinging it gently back and forth as he falls backwards into the leather couch behind him.
Malakai DeLirio: (In a mocking tone) Oh, Stella… Stella… Do come back when you’ve mustered the courage…
Standing at the door, Dr. Grimshaw notices Stella nervously getting back to her chair. A confused Grimshaw reads the fear on her face. He leans half of his body out of the office and whispers to Stella to take the rest of the day. Understanding the seriousness in the doctor’s voice, Stella immediately shuts down her computer, grabs her purse and shuffles out of the office. Grimshaw shuts the door and sits in his brown leather chair a few feet in front of the sprawled out DeLirio on the matching couch.
Dr. Grimshaw: (Steepling his fingers) So, Mr. DeLirio, tell me a little about yourself.
Malakai DeLirio: (With a widening grin DeLirio interlaces his fingers behind his head) Ah, the origins of chaos and calamity, you wish to know, do you? Very well, gather ’round, dear Doctor, for I shall regale you with the twisted tale of The Clown Prince! Picture it, a carnival of nightmares, a carnival of mirth twisted into madness! Born amidst the flickering lights and haunting melodies of the Big Top, I emerged into this world with a laugh that sent shivers down spines. From a young age, I reveled in turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, the mundane into the macabre!
Malakai pulls a flower out of his pocket and, with a flourish, turns it into a rubber chicken and rests it on the floor in front of the couch he continues to lay on.
Malakai DeLirio: My path was set, a path paved with pranks, pandemonium, and peril! As I grew, my insatiable thirst for chaos led me to the realm of the squared circle. Wrestling, they called it – a perfect stage for my malevolent brilliance! I wielded humor and horror like a double-edged sword, manipulating my opponents’ minds as I battered their bodies. The crowds, they chanted my name with a mix of terror and delight – “Malakai! Malakai!” The Clown Prince was born, a twisted mastermind bringing both pain and peals of laughter to the masses! Ha ha ha!
With a wide smile, Malakai relishes in the story he is weaving for Grimshaw. In an instant, Malakai springs upright and leans in towards the doctor.
Malakai DeLirio: (With malice in his eyes) And so, Doctor Ignatius Grimshaw, that is but a glimpse into the darkness that fuels the fire of The Clown Prince. But remember, dear Doctor, even genius has its price, and even laughter can be a weapon of destruction. So, what say you to that, my good Doctor? Shall we dance upon the precipice of madness together? Ha ha ha!
Malakai leans back into the couch once again.
Dr. Grimshaw: (Attempting to not look nervous) Now how much of that story was fact and how much of it was fiction?
Malakai DeLirio: (Springing forward again. His once menacing grin has immediately turned into a sly smirk) Ah, the thin line between truth and illusion, reality and fantasy! You see, my dear Doctor, in the realm of The Clown Prince, the boundaries between fact and fiction blur like the twisted dreamscape of a fevered mind. Is it all true? Is it all a fabrication? That, my curious companion, is a riddle left to confound and captivate. But isn’t that the beauty of it all? The mystery, the uncertainty, the lurking shadows of doubt? It keeps you guessing, keeps you on the edge of your sanity! And isn’t that what you psychotherapists adore? Delving into the recesses of the human mind, seeking to untangle the web of perception from the tapestry of reality?
Malakai leans back, now twirling a fake mustache between his fingers like anyone would a poker chip or large coin.
Malakai DeLirio: So, Doctor, embrace The Clown Prince, for in my world, truth and lies dance the tango of wicked amusement! Ha ha ha!
Dr. Grimshaw: Interesting. We are nearing the end of our time in this session Malakai, but before you go, let me ask. What would you like to achieve in our future meetings?
Malakai DeLirio: These sessions allow me to revel in the discomfiture that lingers in your gaze, the tremor in your voice – ah, the sweet symphony of unease that I orchestrate inside of Stella’s mind! And in turn, they give you a glimpse into the mind of a malevolent genius, a chance to taste the darkness that courses through my veins.
Grimshaw begins to write notes as Malakai continues to speak.
Malakai DeLirio: (Mocking the doctor as he writes) Scribble scribble, slide slide, ha ha ha! So, my dear Doctor Ignatius Grimshaw, as our time together draws to a close, let us savor these glimpses into the twisted psyche of The Clown Prince. For even as our session concludes, the echoes of my laughter shall linger in the corridors of your mind! Ha ha ha!
Malakai stands up.
Malakai DeLirio: (With a sarcastic undertone) And now, Doctor, as the curtains fall on this little theater of the mind, remember – The Clown Prince shall never haunt your thoughts! Farewell… for now!
Malakai exits the room with a maniacal laugh echoing in the air. Dr. Grimshaw is left staring at the rubber chicken on the floor realizing that he managed to extract nothing out of DeLirio at all.