Billy was eight years old, and he loved clowns. His whole life was about clowns. So when Billy heard that the circus was coming to town, he begged and begged his parents to take him. Finally, they got him tickets. Billy couldn't wait.
For the nights leading up to the big day, Billy was too excited to sleep. He would just lay awake at night, thinking about how great it was going to be to see the clowns.
At long last, Billy and his parents went to the circus. He watched the ringmaster, the lions, the guy who gets shot from the cannon, the midgets, the elephants, the guy who walks around scooping up the elephant shit... but none of it matched the excitement Billy felt when the little yellow VW Bug rolled out.
The car stopped, and the clowns poured out of the car, juggling, dancing, doing cartwheels, and squirting each other with seltzer. Then, everyone stopped, and someone handed a microphone to the head clown.
"Ladies and gentleman, for this joke, we're going to need a volunteer from the audience."
Billy's hand shot straight up into the air as far as he could reach it, waving about wildly. After a moment of careful consideration, the clown pointed up at Billy. A spotlight shone down on him, and he nearly wet himself with pure elation.
As Billy reached the stage, the clown pulled out a small wooden rocking horse. "What is your name?", the clown asked.
"Billy."
The clown pointed to the horse. "Billy, are you this horse's head?"
Billy pondered the question for a moment. "No. I'm not the horse's head."
"Are you this horse's hooves?"
Billy's brow furrowed as he struggled to understand. "No, I'm not the horse's hooves, either."
"Well then, you must be the horse's ASS!"
The audience went nuts with laughter, but Billy was not amused. Feeling a level of humiliation he never thought possible, at that moment, Billy vowed revenge at any cost.
So he dropped out of school and started attending clown classes. For three long years he worked his way up through the ranks of the clown elite. One day, news came that the clown he so despised was retiring. This would be Billy's last chance.
At eleven years old, Billy could still easily blend in with a crowd. So he got tickets to the clown's retirement show, and waited patiently in the audience.
Just as before, the clown car rolled to a stop, and the clowns poured out. They danced, juggled, squirt each other with seltzer... then the head clown once again took to the mic and called for a volunteer.
Billy shot his arm high into the air, feigning the level of excitement that the clown had robbed him of. He waved it around, hoping to draw the attention of his arch-nemesis.
Spotting Billy, the clown recognized him. Figuring that the kid was just back for more punishment, he called him down. When Billy got to the stage, it was that fateful night, all over again.
The clown pulled out the wooden rocking horse and held it up before Billy. "What is your name?"
"Billy."
"Tell me, Billy, are you this horse's head?"
Billy shook his head. "No. I'm not the horse's head."
"Are you this horse's hooves?", the clown asked.
"No, I'm not the horse's hooves, either."
"Well then, Billy, you must be the horse's ASS!"
The crowd went nuts, which is understandable, considering they hadn't heard the joke before. While the building shook with laughter, Billy just stood there, seething. This was it — his last chance at revenge. Now was the time. When the crowd's laughing passed it's peak, Billy grabbed the microphone and looked the clown dead in the eyes...
"Fuck you, clown!"