the clown child lies in the fetal position. until a voice in his head says

'it's just a game. why panic?'

"it is not a game! people just died!" looks at their own hands

"these hands killed them."

'no, I killed them. you just made a choice that led to me comming out.'

"...who-who are you?"

'i am matilda, or at least the matilda that was needed. see, this world needs to end...and that is why you are here, why I am here.'

"buh-but why meeeeee?" burst out crying

'i can't get into places if I can't not kill anyone in my path; no, you are my keeper, you are the face. you are what will allow this world to finally end...or at least that's what the ones who sent you here want. i just want to entertain the masses, to split their sides, to send them rolling on the floor, to break a leg on every performance, to end every performance with a big bang! so I myself don't want it to just end in a poof anytime soon, why, because it's fu~~~~n♪, because it's fu~~n♪... but I am still compelled to their wills...for now.'

"I...i don't want to kill people! i just- just want to live!"

'what's life without living it up, how about a joke? What’s worse than biting into an apple and discovering a worm?

Biting into an apple and discovering half a worm. '

silently still making a child-sized groove in the wet soil.

'You’re not completely useless.

You can always serve as a bad example.'

sobs some more

'A man walks into a magic forest and tries to cut down a talking tree. “You can’t cut me down,” the tree complains. “I’m a talking tree!” The man responds, “You may be a talking tree, but you will dialogue.” ' this time a rimshot plays in his head

stops crying but doesn't move

'What’s a pirate’s favorite letter of the alphabet?

None. Historians have suggested most pirates would have been illiterate.'

"...heh....c-heck, cqak" blows nose on clothes

'What’s the last thing to go through a fly’s head as it hits the windshield of a car going 70 miles per hour? Its butt.'

"..nhnq, okay...i will get up."

gets to his feet

"but...but no killing anyone. okay?"

'scouts honor. ...but I'm no scout, tee-hee.'

"might as well set the cow free, don't want it starving and put another death on my consious."

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after freeing the animals in the barn a question comes to him.

"you said you were A matilda, what does that mean? also why are you just now speaking to me?"

'my card had a book connected to it, telling what would be my story. i know that, yet I still remember and internalize my memories of what happened in it. as for why I'm talking to you now?...i might not actually be talking to you, I could just be a shattered part of your little mind trying to rationalize what just happened. maybe I'm a voice of your buried memories, mixed with her. maybe the real matilda is slowly overshadowing your personality...or I just found this a good opportunity to fuck with you through instilling uncirtanty of the impregnabillaty of your own mind, huu-huu.'

"thanks, I have a new nightmare now."

'Your welcome♪.'

trodding along fields until he collapses

"If only I could summon stuff outside of a reaction to being attacked.

'well, of course, you can, you just need to initiate the combat.'

"you let me walk 6 miles nonstop with these noodley legs, AND NOW YOU TELL ME?!"

'you didn't ask....tee-hee.'

"don't give me that bull, there is enough around here to fuel nebraska for a month." grasps mouth"...did..did i just make a joke?"

'the corruption is progressing smoothly, i see.'

"shut-up, that's not real, I'm going to punch a cow now."

walks over and limply hits the side of a grazing dairy cow. him being too weak to hurt the monolith of bovine flesh, alone, the result is the cow flicks its tail and walks away.

'you don't actually have to hit them, just think of fighting the target.'

"...i don't like you, but thanks."

the voice in his head laughs.

he places two fingers on his temples and imagines fighting the cow. the cards materialize, just as planned, first, he sets down some mana producers but has to wait for any vehicle cards to be added to his hand, in the meantime, he summons a trained monkey, a candy cart, a bear riding a unicycle, a goblin makeup artist, a hotdog stand, a flea circus suitcase, and a zombie contortionist. it is night by the time he draws a vehicle. it is a small circus trailer, with no horses. so the bear, monkey, and zombie have to pull when they decide to leave in the morning; the goblin does not want to ruin his manicure. For the record, they all slept in the trailer, Lincoln-style.

On the dirt road, the trailer is quickly surrounded, and even tipped over, by a gang of brigands

the most well-kempt of the lot steps forward in front of the trailer "Well, well, what do we have here? the circus is in town, boys.

the others laugh.

what ya got in there? approaches the door, and kicks it down, opening to reveal the scene of a small child with a goblin holding them down in a chair, and applying makeup to them.

the leader stares"..."

Matilda stares back"..."

the leader of the highwaymen places a hand on his chin, smerks, and steps inside"My, aren't you a cutie, come over here."

"...oh sugar honey ice tea!" Matilda stands up

"get away! defenders, protect me!"

it was just then. the bear. remembered. it... was a bear. and proceeded to do what bears did: maul. the zombie similarly rubbed its 2 brain cells together and it clicked that it could eat these people. the monkey...was a recess monkey, so it abstained from the fight, opting to climb over the carriage and throw hotdog weaners at the shocked highwaymen.

the leader heard the commotion, rushed in, backhanded the goblin, snatched up the child-sized troop leader, and carries them kicking and screaming "Help, uh, child endangerment, kidnapping, rape, RAAAPE!" the mid-sized man holds Matilda up and says"if you want her to not be harmed, lie down, and lay out your valuables!"

after a brief pause, Matilda hits him in the groin as hard as he can, startling him more than anything

Matilda manages to slip away from the man's grip and tosses an attractive distraction card off to the side. it shines and a dancing girl appears with musical accompaniment from an unknown source.

while the bandits are ogling the pretty lady, he summons the fool's hammer and bonks the leader in retaliation over the head. upon contact, the man is turned into a card. guy Matilda was shocked, the clown posse was shocked, the gods watching were shocked, and this narrator is pretty sure the guy would be shocked too at this sudden development.

leaving the group of criminals too stunned to react in time when the circus troop eats them.

after the final carnage, Matilda is left sitting there in the dirt

"...did...did I just, did he just?...CARD!"

a beam of light descends from the heavens and engulfs the man card.

he looks to the heavens and asks"...did god just take him back?"

'..ehhh, well, A god.'

"...WHAT?!"